22 technology company executives, senators from both parties, union and civil society representatives attended the first artificial intelligence forum held in Congress under the leadership of New York’s Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.
Entering the meeting, Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX companies, told reporters that “a regulator is needed to ensure that companies take actions that are safe and in the general interest of the public” and said, “It is important for us to have a referee.”
Delivering the opening speech of the meeting, Schumer, the majority leader of the Senate, said, “Today we are starting a very large, complex and vital initiative. The goal is to create a basis for bipartisan AI policy that Congress can accept.” said.
Emphasizing that Congress should play a role in artificial intelligence regulation, Shcumer said, “Because without Congress, we can neither maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence nor minimize its risks.”
Later, in the forum, which continued behind closed doors and moderated by Schumer, artificial intelligence was discussed in two parts for a total of 6 hours among senior executives of technology companies with a total asset value of 6.5 trillion, senators and other participants.
“Disappointed this wasn’t publicly available.”
Missouri’s Republican Senator Josh Hawley criticized the closed artificial intelligence forum before the meeting, saying, “This is the largest meeting of technology monopolists, and I am disappointed that it is not in the form of a real, public meeting.” made his assessment.
Hawley also lamented Congress’ inability to pass meaningful technology legislation, saying, “I don’t know why we’re inviting the world’s largest monopolists to come and give Congress tips on how they can help them make more money.” said.
The forum was held in the Kennedy Meeting Room of the Senate office building
It also attracted attention that the first artificial intelligence forum in Congress was held in the Kennedy Meeting Hall of the Senate office building, where hearings on the sinking of the Titanic, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Watergate scandal were held.
Members of Congress in the US are holding hearings on regulating the new technology, which has exploded in investment and consumer popularity since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, and how to reduce possible dangers.
Across society, labor union leaders and civil society groups also worry about the tech industry’s haste to introduce new products that could threaten workers’ employment security and disrupt education.
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