Six Georgia lawmakers oppose federal freeze on state-level AI regulation

Six state legislators from Georgia have signed onto a letter urging members of Congress to oppose a provision tucked inside President Trump s massive budget bill that would freeze state and local regulation of artificial intelligence for years The bipartisan letter dated Tuesday and signed by more than state lawmakers from across the nation warns of the dangers of stopping in its tracks state-level efforts to put guardrails around rapidly growing AI instrument Over the past several years states across the country have enacted AI-related laws increasing consumer transparency setting rules for the governing body acquisition of new tool protecting patients in our health-care system and defending artists and creators the letter states A federal moratorium on AI guidelines threatens to wipe out these laws and a range of statute impacting more than just AI advance and leaving constituents across the country vulnerable to harm The Georgia lawmakers who signed the letter include three Republicans state Sen John Albers of Roswell and state Reps Todd Jones of South Forsyth and Gary Richardson of Evans and three Democrats House Minority Whip Sam Park of Lawrenceville House Democratic Caucus Chair Tanya Miller of Atlanta and Rep Scott Holcomb of Atlanta The U S House passed Trump s bill the cornerstone of his second-term agenda last month by a single vote and sent it to the Senate The huge bill contains a series of controversial spending cuts that would help fund an extension of the tax cuts Congress enacted early in the president s first term But a host of provisions unrelated to tax and spending policies are inside the measure including the freeze on state- and local-level AI regulations Particular House Republicans including U S Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome have explained they didn t know the AI provision was in the bill Greene communicated The New York Times that she would have voted against the regulation had she known of the AI provision Jones who chairs the Georgia House Innovation Infrastructure Innovation Committee called the provision catastrophic particularly given the fast pace at which AI system is advancing Ten years is untenable There s too numerous things happening he explained By putting in a -year moratorium we re putting our dependence on a federal leadership that hasn t been able to do anything effectively or efficiently The General Assembly has been actively addressing AI issues in up-to-date years passing rule in authorizing the use of autonomous service-delivery robots to deliver cargo and passing bills this year requiring the Georgia Innovation Authority to conduct annual inventories of AI use by state agencies and giving the state Department of Transportation authority over vertiports which serve small aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing Measure outlawing the creation of AI-generated deep fakes to spread false information or images in political campaigns cleared the House this year but died in the SenateThe post Six Georgia lawmakers oppose federal freeze on state-level AI regulation appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta