Senate Convenes Hearings on AI Regulation

The Senate Judiciary Committee has recently convened a series of hearings with expert testimony on how artificial intelligence (AI) regulatory policies should be developed, with a particular focus on personal rights and copyright issues. Copyright industries contribute approximately $1.8 trillion in value to U.S. GDP, translating to about 8% of the national economy through the work of 9.6 million American workers. Outside of the country, American copyrighted products constitute $230 billion in revenue. Hence, copyright industries hold considerable influence and require new measures for regulation as evolving disruptive technologies affect their operations. 

A bipartisan group of senators is working on draft legislation for artificial intelligence for consideration later this year, including exploration of how AI may impact the U.S. STEM workforce. The Judiciary Committee hearings included AI and Intellectual Property - Part I: Patents, Innovation, and Competition and Part II: Copyright, as well as a hearing on Oversight of A.I.: Principles for Regulation. The U.S. is a leader in AI developments but has not fully considered how the technology may impact or subvert laws related to creative ownership, IP, or data collection. Already, the EU requires its domestic companies to publish copyrighted material used in AI training models, and the UK provides copyright protections for computer-generated works. These policies provide some considerations for how the committees’ witnesses aim to approach the matter, shaping a conversation for what legislative action will be the most appropriate. 
 
To view archived webcasts of the Senate’s AI recent hearings, visit here.