Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal want to clarify that the Internet Bedrock Liability Act does not apply to generative AI, according to new legislation introduced Wednesday. From the report: Legal experts and lawmakers have questioned whether AI-generated works qualify for legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which primarily protects platforms from lawsuits over third-party content. ing. Thanks to the explosion of generative AI, this has become a new imperative. The new bipartisan bill reinforces the argument that Section 230 does not cover AI-generated work. It also gives legislators who have been campaigning to amend Section 230 after years of unsuccessful results an opportunity to push it forward.
Section 230 is often credited with enabling the Internet to thrive and the proliferation of social media, travel information and restaurant review websites. To his critics, this goes too far, is not appropriate for his web today, and social media companies leave too much harmful content online. Hawley and Blumenthal’s “No Section 230 Exemption Bill for AI” by “adding provisions to strip AI companies of immunity in civil actions or criminal prosecutions involving the use or provision of generative AI.” Hawley’s office, according to the paper’s description of the bill, which would amend Section 230.
