Legislation led by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to help ensure the federal government is better prepared to utilize and manage artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has advanced in the Senate. The bill, which was introduced earlier this month, would establish a Chief AI Officer at every federal agency and create an interagency council made up of these officials to ensure there is a coordinated and informed approach to the federal government’s use of AI systems. The legislation would bolster the federal government’s efforts to ensure that these rapidly evolving technologies are being used responsibly to save taxpayer dollars and better serve the public. The bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Peters serves as Chair. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
“Artificial intelligence systems are constantly learning and evolving, and we need leaders in the federal government who are prepared to oversee how these technologies are managed,” said Senator Peters. “This commonsense bill will ensure that federal agencies have the talent needed to realize the benefits of AI, while mitigating the potential risks this technology poses to individuals, society, and national security.”
“Artificial intelligence is constantly evolving, and the federal government must be able to keep up,” said Senator Cornyn. “This bill would establish interagency AI coordination and strategy to ensure they use this technology in a modern and fiscally responsible way.”
The AI Leadership to Enable Accountable Deployment (AI LEAD) Act would create a Chief AI Officer position at every federal agency to develop the agency’s efforts and policies regarding AI. The bill also establishes a Chief AI Officers Council that each of these officials would sit on to ensure there is coordination across the federal government on the use of AI. It would also create an AI board of senior officials at each agency to coordinate and integrate AI activities and policy across the agency. Finally, the bill instructs every federal agency to develop an AI strategy and requires the head of every agency to be accountable for ensuring the responsible research, development, acquisition, and use of AI.
The legislation builds on Peters’ previous efforts to ensure our nation can use AI effectively and responsibly. This Congress, Peters’ bipartisan bills to create an AI training program for federal supervisors and require transparency of the federal government’s use the technologies have advanced in the Senate. His bipartisan bill to create a training program to help federal employees responsible for purchasing and managing AI technologies better understand the capabilities and risks they pose to the American people was signed into law last year. Peters’ provision to ensure that the use of AI across the federal government is effective, responsible, and accountable by providing resources and guidance to federal agencies was also signed into law in 2021.
