A group of bipartisan senators has announced a series of briefings on artificial intelligence (AI), including the first-ever classified "All-Senators" briefing on the topic.
In a letter to fellow senators, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote, "As AI transforms our world, the Senate must keep abreast of the extraordinary potential, and risks, AI presents."
Republican Senators Mike Rounds and Todd Young, along with Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, co-signed the letter. The briefings will address the current state of AI, the frontier of AI, and how the U.S. can maintain its leadership in the field. The third meeting will be classified regarding the Department of Defense and the intelligence community.
The senators stated that AI is already changing the world, and experts have repeatedly warned that it will profoundly impact everything from national security to the workforce, including potentially significant job displacement.
The hearings come amid rising concerns over AI, a branch of computer science designed to understand and store human intelligence, mimic human capabilities, process human language, and perform speech recognition. A recent study from Australia concluded that humans are having difficulty differentiating between authentic images and AI images, and hyper-realistic images generated by AI could lead to the proliferation of misinformation online and cybersecurity issues.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also warned last month that AI could become powerful enough to replace professional experts "in most domains" within the next decade.
The senators' initiative aims to deepen the Senate's expertise in this topic. The briefings will help senators keep abreast of the latest developments in AI and its potential impact on society. The senators' bipartisan approach is commendable, underscoring the importance of addressing AI as a non-partisan issue.
The briefings will provide a platform for senators to ask questions and engage in discussions with experts in the field. The classified briefing on the Department of Defense and the intelligence community is particularly crucial, as it will shed light on how AI is being used in these areas and what the U.S. knows about how its adversaries are using AI.
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