Representative Ted Lieu, Democrat of California, wrote in a guest essay in The New York Times in January that he was “freaked out” by the ability of the ChatGPT chatbot to mimic human writers. Another Democrat, Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, gave a one-minute speech — written by a chatbot — calling for regulation of A.I.
But even as lawmakers put a spotlight on the technology, few are taking action on it. No bill has been proposed to protect individuals or thwart the development of A.I.’s potentially dangerous aspects. And legislation introduced in recent years to curb A.I. applications like facial recognition have withered in Congress.
The problem is that most lawmakers do not even know what A.I. is, said Representative Jay Obernolte.
Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, a London organization focused on the responsible use of technology, said a lack of regulation encouraged companies to put a priority on financial and commercial interests at the expense of safety.
“By failing to establish such guardrails, policymakers are creating the conditions for a race to the bottom in irresponsible A.I.,” she said.
