Current:Home > Contact-usConnecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain-LoTradeCoin
Connecticut Senate passes wide-ranging bill to regulate AI. But its fate remains uncertain
View Date:2024-12-23 23:54:25
HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut Senate pressed ahead Wednesday with one of the first major legislative proposals in the U.S. to rein in bias in artificial intelligence decision-making and protect people from harm, including manufactured videos or deepfakes.
The vote was held despite concerns the bill might stifle innovation, become a burden for small businesses and make the state an outlier.
The bill passed 24-12 after a lengthy debate. It is the result of two years of task force meetings in Connecticut and a year’s worth of collaboration among a bipartisan group of legislators from other states who are trying to prevent a patchwork of laws across the country because Congress has yet to act.
“I think that this is a very important bill for the state of Connecticut. It’s very important I think also for the country as a first step to get a bill like this,” said Democratic Sen. James Maroney, the key author of the bill. “Even if it were not to come and get passed into law this year, we worked together as states.”
Lawmakers from Connecticut, Colorado, Texas, Alaska, Georgia and Virginia who have been working together on the issue have found themselves in the middle of a national debate between civil rights-oriented groups and the industry over the core components of the legislation. Several of the legislators, including Maroney, participated in a news conference last week to emphasize the need for legislation and highlight how they have worked with industry, academia and advocates to create proposed regulations for safe and trustworthy AI.
But Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding said he felt like Connecticut senators were being rushed to vote on the most complicated piece of legislation of the session, which is scheduled to adjourn May 8. The Republican said he feared the bill was “full of unintended consequences” that could prove detrimental to businesses and residents in the state.
“I think our constituents are owed more thought, more consideration to this before we push that button and say this is now going to become law,” he said.
Besides pushback from Republican legislators, some key Democrats in Connecticut, including Gov. Ned Lamont, have voiced concern the bill may negatively impact an emerging industry. Lamont, a former cable TV entrepreneur, “remains concerned that this is a fast-moving space, and that we need to make sure we do this right and don’t stymie innovation,” his spokesperson Julia Bergman said in a statement.
Among other things, the bill includes protections for consumers, tenants and employees by attempting to target risks of AI discrimination based on race, age, religion, disability and other protected classes. Besides making it a crime to spread so-called deepfake pornography and deceptive AI-generated media in political campaigns, the bill requires digital watermarks on AI-generated images for transparency.
Additionally, certain AI users will be required to develop policies and programs to eliminate risks of AI discrimination.
The legislation also creates a new online AI Academy where Connecticut residents can take classes in AI and ensures AI training is part of state workforce development initiatives and other state training programs. There are some concerns the bill doesn’t go far enough, with calls by advocates to restore a requirement that companies must disclose more information to consumers before they can use AI to make decisions about them.
The bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives.
veryGood! (18963)
Related
- Infowars auction could determine whether Alex Jones is kicked off its platforms
- 2024 MTV VMAs: Eminem Proves He’s Still the Real Slim Shady With Rousing Opening Performance
- Indiana judge rules against abortion providers fighting near-total ban
- Boeing factory workers are voting whether to strike and shut down aircraft production
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- New Orleans Saints staff will stay in team's facility during Hurricane Francine
- DHL sues MyPillow, alleging company founded by Mike Lindell owes $800,000
- Is it worth crying over spilled Cheetos? Absolutely, say rangers at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- WNBA players deserve better, from fans and their commissioner
Ranking
- Wind-whipped wildfire near Reno prompts evacuations but rain begins falling as crews arrive
- Laura Loomer, who promoted a 9/11 conspiracy theory, joins Trump for ceremonies marking the attacks
- Harvey Weinstein indicted on additional sex crimes charges ahead of New York retrial
- Amazon drops 2024 'Toys We Love' list for early holiday shoppers
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- North Carolina’s public universities cut 59 positions as part of a massive DEI overhaul this summer
- Football season is back and Shack Shack is giving away chicken sandwiches to celebrate
- WNBA players criticize commissioner for downplaying social media vitriol
Recommendation
-
Kyle Richards Shares an Amazing Bottega Dupe From Amazon Along With Her Favorite Fall Trends
-
Pair of rare Amur tiger cubs debuting at Minnesota Zoo are raising hopes for the endangered species
-
‘Weather Whiplash’ Helped Drive This Year’s California Wildfires
-
Why Orlando Bloom’s Reaction to Katy Perry’s 2024 MTV VMAs Performance Has the Internet Buzzing
-
Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
-
2024 MTV VMAs: Eminem Proves He’s Still the Real Slim Shady With Rousing Opening Performance
-
Chappell Roan Declares Freaks Deserve Trophies at 2024 MTV VMAs
-
Biden marks 30th anniversary of passage of landmark Violence Against Women Act