Yesterday, Cantwell hosted a hearing saying strong federal privacy bill was key to protecting consumers

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Committee that will oversee legislation affecting the AI industry, posted the following statement after attending today’s Senate Artificial Intelligence (AI) Forum that convened with top leaders from tech, labor and civil liberties organizations:

“This morning's historic AI panel discussion with the Senate surely covered the opportunities like health care, energy, and risks associated with AI including the disruptive impacts on labor and bias.

But Satya Nadella probably characterized best what the US government response to AI should be: ‘We should not be thinking of AI as something that is on autopilot. With AI, it will be much better implemented with copilots.’”

Senator Cantwell was instrumental in creating the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC). The FUTURE of AI Act, which passed through the National AI Initiative Act of 2020 and was included in the FY2021 NDAA, tasked the Secretary of Commerce to create a Federal Advisory Committee on the Development and Implementation of Artificial Intelligence. In August, Senator Cantwell hosted an AI Summit in Seattle and called for a new G.I bill for AI education to help reskill workers for jobs of the future. Yesterday at a Senate Commerce Committee subcommittee hearing, Senator Cantwell said she plans to introduce legislation on combatting deepfakes and said federal privacy legislation is key to addressing AI scams and misuse concerns for consumers.