The following statement can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).
SIIA applauds the release of “Driving U.S. Innovation in Artificial Intelligence: A Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Policy in the United States Senate (“Roadmap”),” by Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Rounds (R-SD), Heinrich (D-NM), and Young (R-IN). The Roadmap reflects thorough, thoughtful engagement with the challenges and opportunities of AI and is an ambitious yet realistic plan to advance U.S. leadership and innovation.
The Roadmap’s call for $32 billion in annual funding for AI R&D will provide the infrastructure needed to ensure the U.S. remains a leader in AI by expanding access to computing, developing technologies to supplement private sector innovation and addressing unique governmental needs including in the provision of government services and fortifying national security. As part of this, we are pleased by the Roadmap’s support for the Future of AI Innovation Act and CREATE AI Act. These are necessary, bipartisan bills that Congress should act on immediately.
We are also pleased that the Roadmap calls for legislation to address issues around non-consensual distribution of intimate deepfakes. This is a gap in the law that warrants a bipartisan solution.
SIIA has long advocated for targeted, sector specific guardrails and we are pleased to see this bedrock principle reflected in the Roadmap. We are encouraged by the AI Working Group’s call for public-private collaboration, including information sharing on risks, as a way to advance U.S. leadership and innovation. We commend the Senate AI Working Group for leaning into the substantial work underway in the Executive Branch and focusing Congressional efforts towards filling in the gaps that will provide the administration with critical authorities and appropriations.
We urge the Senate AI Working Group to continue to highlight areas not covered in this document such as education. An insight forum to bring together stakeholders in the education community like students, parents, educators, leaders from institutions of higher education, developers, deployers, IT professionals, researchers, privacy experts and others would be particularly beneficial for Senators and staff to learn more about the optimism and concerns from the community.
We look forward to working with the Senate to advance the vision set out in the Roadmap.
