WASHINGTON — As deepfake scandals continue to rock both politics and pop culture, House and Senate lawmakers are grappling with the risks of rapidly advancing technology, while also trying to capitalize on the benefits of artificial intelligence for their own internal use.
At a Tuesday hearing on the use of AI in the legislative branch, House Administration Chair Bryan Steil and ranking member Joseph D. Morelle each referenced the fake robocall purportedly from President Joe Biden that instructed voters to stay home during New Hampshire’s presidential primary. And Morelle mentioned the AI-generated lewd images of pop star Taylor Swift that recently circulated online as another example of tech run amok.
Congress should take note, Morelle said.
“Threats and risks exist here in the legislative branch, too. And we need to be mindful of them as we establish what will be the operating culture for congressional AI use for years to come,” Morelle said.
If holding congressional hearings counts as being mindful, his colleagues are heeding the call.
Last week, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee hosted a similar meeting on the use of AI at the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution and the Government Publishing Office. A Senate Judiciary subpanel hosted a hearing the same day on the use of AI in criminal investigations. And on Monday, a House subpanel looked at the future of data privacy and AI at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“This seems to be a very interesting topic because I don’t often see this room packed full of visitors,” joked Oklahoma Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice on Tuesday, looking around the Longworth Building committee room.
The crowd heard testimony from representatives from GPO, the Library of Congress, the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and the Government Accountability Office, who all described uses for the technology they said could empower staffers, democratize…
Read the full article here
