Chuck Schumer Held First-Ever Meeting on AI

(RightWing.org) – The last few years have brought tremendous growth to the field of artificial intelligence (AI). This emerging technology increasingly shapes how individuals, companies, and governmental entities operate. While scientists and developers are pondering ways to improve machine learning algorithms, a bipartisan group of senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to hold the chamber’s first-ever classified all-Senate briefing on AI.

On June 6, Senators Schumer, Todd Young (R-IN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) sent a letter to their colleagues announcing their decision to host a series of bipartisan Senators-only briefings on AI over the summer.

The announcement explained that the four senators decided to break the discussions into three segments, each addressing a question regarding AI’s current and future status. The Senate held the first session, “Where is AI Today?” on June 13. The briefing covered an overview of the “many exciting recent developments” in AI, the technology’s current capabilities, and where it’s being used today.

The second session will cover the “frontier of AI” and how lawmakers can “maintain leadership” in this emerging new field. The briefing will review the technology’s future with an eye on current advancements and how it might develop over the next 10 years.

The final session will discuss the use of AI by the Defense Department, the nation’s intelligence service, and national security agencies and departments. It will also look at how adversarial nations are using the technology. Notably, this session will be the nation’s first-ever classified All-Senators briefing on the subject.

The letter stressed the need for the Senate to deepen its expertise regarding the current and future use of machine-based learning. Additionally, it discussed the fact that AI already impacts everything from national security to the country’s classrooms and workforce. For that reason, the senators concluded that lawmakers “must” take the time to discuss expanding technology’s potential from “leading minds… across all sectors” to better understand AI’s inherent risks and benefits.