Microsoft on mobile with ChatGPT 4 on screen. Shown in the diagram in this photo. March 15, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium.
Jonathan Lah | Nafoto | Getty Images
The BSA, a technology advocacy group backed in part by Microsoft, is advocating rules governing the use of artificial intelligence in national privacy laws, according to a document released Monday.
BSA represents business software companies such as Adobe, IBM, and Oracle. Microsoft is one of the leaders in AI due to his recent investment in OpenAI, the creator of the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT. But Google, another important US player in advanced AI at the moment, is not a member.
The move comes as many members of Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), have expressed interest and urgency to keep regulation abreast of rapid developments in AI technology. It’s because
The group advocates four key protections:
- Congress should create clear requirements for when companies must assess the design or impact of AI.
- These requirements must apply when using AI to make “major decisions” and should also be defined by Congress.
- Congress must designate existing federal agencies to ensure that businesses comply with the rule.
- Companies should develop risk management programs for high-risk AI.
Craig Albright, Vice President, U.S. Government Relations, BSA, said: “So we’re trying to bring more attention to this opportunity. We feel it’s not or shouldn’t be getting enough attention.”
“It’s not meant to be the answer to every question about AI, but it’s an important answer to an important question about AI that Congress can solve,” Albright said.
The introduction of accessible advanced AI tools like ChatGPT is accelerating the push for technology guardrails. The US has created a voluntary risk management framework, but many supporters want stronger protections. Meanwhile, Europe is working to finalize its AI law and create protections around high-risk AI.
Albright said as Europe and China push forward frameworks to regulate and foster new technologies, U.S. policymakers should ask themselves whether digital transformation is “a critical part of the economic agenda.” I said yes.
“If so, we should have a national agenda for digital transformation,” he said, which includes rules on AI, national privacy standards and robust cybersecurity policies.
In a message outlining its proposals to Congress, which BSA shared with CNBC, the group said the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, the bipartisan privacy bill that passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the last Congress, will be replaced by new legislation. Suggested that it is a suitable means of AI rule. The bill is still a long way to go, but the BSA said it already has the right frameworks in place, such as national AI guardrails, for governments to put in place.
As many expected, the BSA hopes that when ADPPA is reintroduced, it will include new language regulating AI. Albright said the group has been in contact with the House Energy and Commerce Committee on their proposal, and that the committee is “open” to many different voices.
A representative for the House E&C did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ADPPA still faces roadblocks to legislation, but Albright said it would take a lot of work to pass any legislation.
“What we’re trying to say is this is available. This is something we can reach agreement on, and it can be bipartisan,” Albright said. “So I hope this will be part of whatever they try to legislate.”
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