The House Foreign Affairs Committee overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would make it easier for the Biden administration to restrict the export of artificial intelligence systems, citing concerns that China could misuse them to strengthen its military.
The bill, introduced by House Republicans Michael McCaul and John Molenaar and Democrats Raja Krishnamoorthi and Susan Wild, would also give the Commerce Department explicit authority to ban Americans from working with foreigners to develop AI systems that pose a risk to U.S. national security.
Without the bill, “our top AI companies could inadvertently promote China's technological advances and strengthen China's military and malign ambitions,” the committee chairman wrote. McCall warned Wednesday.
“As the (Chinese Communist Party) seeks to expand its technological advances to strengthen its surveillance state and war machinery, it is critical that we protect our sensitive technologies from falling into their hands,” McCaul added.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
The bill passed with 43 votes in favor and three against, but must be approved by the full House and Senate before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.
Date and time first uploaded: 22 May 2024 23:19 IST
