Overview

We must anticipate and prepare for the disruptive and transformative impact of artificial intelligence, both blessings and curses, on our government, our economy, and our daily lives as Americans.

As President, I will ensure we work together to mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence while demonstrating the extraordinary ways in which we can reduce costs, improve service, and generate remarkable advances in life-saving therapies and healthcare outcomes for all Americans.

The Problem

Artificial intelligence is set to disrupt the American economy, workforce, and culture in ways that we can only begin to imagine. In fact, we have already begun to experience the disruption of automation in the American workforce: 

• According to a Pew study, 1 in 5 jobs in America has a “high exposure” to AI as of July 2023. It is unclear if those jobs will just be enhanced by AI, or will be eliminated through the gradual implementation of AI. 

• An IMF survey from this month found that AI is likely to impact 40% of all jobs globally, and will vastly worsen inequality.

Managed well, AI can lead to a global productivity boom and a vastly improved way of life for billions. Managed poorly, AI can lead to mass displacement and unemployment, national and global security risks, catastrophic infringements on property and data security, and an existential threat to humanity. We’ve already seen what failing to adequately regulate new technology does – social media has sown distrust, turned data into the hottest commodity on the market, and severely damaged the mental health of an entire generation. 

We’ve all seen what happens when octagenarian Senators and Congresspeople question technology leaders. Our current leaders are simply unable to meet this moment of historic consequence. We cannot allow AI to go the way of social media. Fifty years from now, we will look back and reflect on this moment in human history as a key turning point in the future of AI and human productivity. The time for strong leadership is now, and I have a plan to navigate the immeasurable upside and downside risks presented by AI.

The Solution

Solutions begin with anticipating the major challenges and problems on the horizon and engaging the best and brightest American thinkers to participate in the strategies to address them. The leaders of yesterday are not prepared to address the problems of today, let alone tomorrow.

As President, I will establish an AI Leadership Task Force comprised of industry experts, economists, and consumer advocates who will participate in the development of ethical AI and governance principles to guide US policy in the space. To execute the recommendations of the task force, I will establish a Department of AI whose sole focus will be ensuring that America is both protected and prepared to manage this new technological frontier - rather than allowing it to manage us.

I will also bring America up to the same standards being established globally in the areas of data privacy and AI regulation by embracing the most useful aspects of GDPR and the EU AI Act. I will also encourage Congress to pass legislation like the TLDR Act to protect American consumers, and reform Section 230 to anticipate and prepare for the dramatic impact of AI on social media platforms.

AI Leadership Task Force

I will build an Artificial Intelligence Leadership Task Force, bringing together leaders from the following industries to provide comprehensive solutions and regulations for the future of AI:

• Technology

• Manufacturing

• Fortune 500 Companies

• Small Businesses

• AI Governance & Creation

• Policy & Government

• Nonprofits

• Education

• Healthcare

• Youth & young Americans

• Labor

Together, this panel will make policy recommendations to Congress to regulate AI and help America navigate the next centuries.

Tech-Forward Government

American businesses are already spending $200B a year on AI to help them increase productivity, innovate faster, and improve the services they offer to their customers. I believe the US Federal Government should also take full advantage of and invest in AI to streamline services, reduce wait times, and provide more value to citizens and taxpayers. By harnessing AI thoughtfully where it makes sense, we can help the government do more for all of us.

Some specific examples of areas to explore for AI-improved government services:

• Better predictions of natural disasters and allocation of resources to save more lives.

• Improved preparedness and prediction of future public health crises.

• Shorter wait times and more proactive care producing better outcomes for VA and Medicare recipients.

• Faster turnaround on your tax returns, fewer unnecessary audits, and appeals with explanations and assistance in plain language.

• Citizen-friendly summarization of legislation and Q&A about any legislation.

In general, the US should be working to implement AI wherever it can be safely deployed to reduce costs and improve outcomes.

US AI Act

One of the biggest priorities of the AI Leadership Task Force will be to establish a US AI Act, like the one created in the EU, allowing the US to better regulate AI and ML technologies both within government programs and in the private sector. This policy will establish a Department of Artificial Intelligence and outline its purview and functions. 

Among the considerations we’d take for the US AI Act would be enforcing model evaluations and assessments to mitigate systemic risk as well as adversarial testing; a focus on ensuring cybersecurity as well as an examination of energy efficiency; limitations of biometric surveillance in public spaces; a ban on cognitive behavioral manipulation using deepfakes and similar technology; a ban on untargeted information gathering, in particular social scoring from the internet or CCTV footage; and a system for consumers and companies to launch complaints when they feel their data is unfairly captured and leveraged to create AI models. 

Department of Artificial Intelligence (DAI)

As part of the US AI Act, we will establish the Department of Artificial Intelligence – a new government agency created to allocate resources, expertise, and operations related to the safe and effective adoption of artificial intelligence.

The Department of Artificial Intelligence will be responsible for the implementation of ethical AI and governance policies in the US government’s AI program as well as the regulation of AI technologies developed by US companies and affecting US consumers. 

Among other things, the DAI will ensure that:

• All parties within the US government building AI understand the importance of AI safety and are committed to responsible AI practices in the construction of AI and ML models. Additionally, all parties will comply with audits to ensure that systems put security first, protect privacy, and put a premium on cybersecurity to ensure that no tools could possibly be misused.

• The government provides an annual AI risks and benefits report which will analyze the current impacts of AI and extrapolate on potential risks and benefits associated with the current trajectory of the technology so that sectors throughout the economy are better able to adapt to the technology. 

• The private sector builds ongoing accountability and transparency tools and commits to ethical AI practices that take into account feedback loops to protect the American consumer to prioritize both innovation and safety.

The DAI will also be responsible for determining penalties for companies that build AI that cause harm, whether purposefully or inadvertently. 

American Data Ownership

Hand in hand with AI is data ownership. The US has lagged behind the EU for far too long in data protection for its citizens. 

As President, I would push for new legislation to define Americans’ right to their personal data to stop corporations and foreign governments from collecting and abusing American data.

Among measures to consider:

• Right to notification.

• Right to consented collection and objection.

• Right to correction and deletion.

• Right to anonymization.

• Right to compensation.

Additionally, I would advocate for an overhaul of online terms and services notifications. They are too long. They don’t make sense. They are changed too frequently. They are bad for the consumer.

Lastly, I would call upon our international allies to create a World Data Organization, which would establish international standards for use of personal data, create better data-sharing practices across international borders, and put pressure on countries that refuse to protect user data with integrity and transparency.

Here are the bills I’ve already sponsored in Congress, so you know where I stand:

• Rep. Phillips is a co-sponsor of The Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023 (CREATE AI Act) which would establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) as a shared national research infrastructure that provides AI researchers and students from diverse backgrounds with greater access to the complex resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence.