Opinion: AI, part V, government response

Imagine that you’re running on a track and trying to catch up with the person who is ahead of you. However, the person is running faster than you. So, you kick into passing gear. Pretty soon, you’re running faster than Olympic champion Usain Bolt, but you’re falling farther and farther behind. And farther behind. And farther behind.

The gears of government turn slowly. Because politicians determine their actions based on public opinion, they wait until they are sure that they are following the dictates of their constituency. Consequently, government in today’s world follows; it does not lead.

Last month, according to Gopal Ratnam who writes for CQ-Roll Call, members of the House of Representatives proposed the creation of a national commission to prepare a framework to regulate the development of artificial intelligence (AI). In the Senate, Chuck Schumer revealed his plan, dubbed “Safe Innovation in the AI Age.” He claimed that it would “protect, expand, and harness AI’s potential.”