Cape News

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Ill.) have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening oversight of artificial intelligence systems in the United States. The proposed bill would create a risk evaluation program within the Department of Energy (DOE) to monitor AI safety issues related to national security, civil liberties, and labor protections.

The legislation requires developers of advanced AI systems to submit product information to the DOE before releasing new technology. This measure is intended to provide greater transparency about potential risks associated with AI deployment.

Senator Hawley stated, "As Big Tech companies continue to develop new generations of artificial intelligence, the wide-ranging risks of their technology continue to grow unchecked and underreported. Simply stated, Congress must not allow our national security, civil liberties, and labor protections to take a back seat to AI. This bipartisan legislation would guarantee common-sense testing and oversight of the most advanced AI systems, so Congress and the American people can be better informed about potential risks."

Senator Blumenthal added, "AI companies have rushed to market with products that are unsafe for the public and often lack basic due diligence and testing. Our legislation would ensure that a federal entity is on the lookout, scrutinizing these AI models for threats to infrastructure, labor markets, and civil liberties—conducting vital research and providing the public with the information necessary to benefit from AI promises, while avoiding many of its pitfalls."

The Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act would establish an “Advanced Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Program” within the DOE. The program would assess advanced AI systems for adverse incidents such as loss-of-control scenarios or weaponization by adversaries. Developers would be required to participate in this program by providing relevant information upon request.

Additionally, developers could not deploy an advanced AI system until they comply with all program requirements. The Secretary of Energy would also be mandated to report annually to Congress with recommendations for federal oversight based on findings from this program.

Earlier this year in July, Senators Hawley and Blumenthal introduced another bipartisan bill focused on protecting consumer data rights and holding technology companies accountable for using copyrighted works without permission when training their AI models.

The full text of the current bill can be accessed online.