One GOP lawmaker nailed out-of-step lawmakers intimating they aren’t fit to regulate or oversee artificial intelligence and that letting them do so could spell trouble.

The US House of Representatives moved forward concerning the construction of an AI regulatory framework last week by pushing the AI Accountability Act, calling for the government to study artificial intelligence and report back in 2025 on its findings.

“Let a bunch of guys up here that are wearing JCPenney leisure suits that still have 8-track tape players in their ’72 Vegas start talking about technology, then you got some problems,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Fox News in an interview.

“I don’t know that we need regulation,” he remarked. “You want to stifle growth, you start putting laws on it.”

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Wednesday, another listening session on AI development was held in the Senate. But many lawmakers contend they still don’t know enough about artificial intelligence to regulate it.

“Right now, we’re in the Wild West,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Fox News in an interview. “AI enables, not only in effect, appropriation of creative products … but also impersonation, deepfakes, a lot of bad stuff. We need to invest in the kinds of restraints and controls if there’s a danger of AI becoming autonomous.”

“The problem with AI is that it’s advancing so fast,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) asserted. “It’s very difficult to regulate because you don’t know what the next thing is going to be.”

Artificial intelligence is growing at an exponential rate with certain companies across the globe using AI constructs as their CEOs. ChatGPT has become widely used and it is quickly adapting to mimic human thought and action without emotion or bias.

Many see it as a direct threat to humankind. But despite that fact, China is rushing ahead to develop it and the United States doesn’t dare fall behind if our nation wants to survive threats from our greatest enemy. It is at the same time a national security threat and a national security imperative.

‘World’s first robot CEO’ gives interview on what it’s like to be AI boss of a Colombian rum company https://t.co/GOR8hcbCIo via @BIZPACReview

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LIVE: Oversight Hearing Examining AI, Focusing On Principles For Regulation – 7/25/2023
https://t.co/trHWEw0ebH

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China and the European Union have both drafted AI regulations this year. Congress, however, is not in a hurry to regulate AI because it could stifle innovation, competition, and development. It could also run afoul of constitutional rights.

“If you overregulate, like the government often does, you stifle innovation,” Mace remarked. “And if we just stop AI, nothing is stopping China. We want to make sure that we are No. 1 in AI technology in the world and that it stays that way.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Fox News in an interview he has concerns about AI. He believes it will greatly benefit large corporations, but the average American… not so much. It could replace many of them entirely in the workplace.

“Will it be good, though, for the American people, for American workers?” he asked.

7/10 ️ Lawmakers have introduced bills for AI regulation, but agreement on rules remains a challenge. European regulators are poised to adopt AI laws, influencing the push for US regulations. Congress aims to balance consumer protection and competitiveness.

— Zoe Bowles (@reimagia_media) July 25, 2023

A Goldman Sachs analysis published in April concluded that AI could reduce or eliminate 300 million jobs globally.

Fox News reported, “Up to 30% of hours currently worked across the U.S. economy could become automated by 2030, creating the possibility of around 12 million occupational transitions in the coming years, according to a McKinsey Global Institute study published in July. Lower-wage workers are up to 14 times more likely to need to change occupations than those in the highest-wage positions, and women are 1.5 times more likely to lose their jobs than men with continued AI development, the study found.”

“We can’t keep up with it,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) proclaimed. “The way AI is being used is unbelievable.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) commented that “Congress doesn’t understand AI well enough right now to be promulgating regulation.”

“We need to start with the fact that there’s a lot associated with AI,” he added. “We need to start breaking those down and thinking about where we really think there’s an urgent need for regulation.”

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