US lawmakers have targeted artificial intelligence AI chatbots to monitor and root out new fraud.
Members of Congress from both major US political parties joined together this week to propose new AI-related legislation, as they aim to deal with security concerns without blocking innovation.
Some Republicans and Democrats are moving to regulate AI amid concerns about the technology’s impact on children, workers and cybersecurity.
US Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas who leads the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced a bill on Tuesday with Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, that would require AI chatbot companies to offer family accounts where parents can view their children’s chat logs and set time limits.
“With the right safeguards in place, AI systems can benefit children’s education without risking their well-being,” Cruz said in a statement.
OpenAI is facing several lawsuits claiming the company violated product liability laws, including from the parents of a teen who committed suicide after allegedly being trained by ChatGPT on self-harm methods. The bill received support from technical accountability and child protection groups.
A separate bill passed through a committee of the US House of Representatives in March that would require chatbot companies to make certain disclosures when they learn that a user is a child.
On Monday, U.S. Representatives Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Jay Obernolte, a Republican, introduced a sweeping proposal supporting AI research, standard setting and education. It would also create a tax break for companies that pay for employee cybersecurity training.
The bill was based on recommendations from a bipartisan House task force on AI, but did not include proposals on more divisive issues such as how AI is used to make housing and employment decisions.
The system is being developed at ETH Zurich.
