Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Oversight Of Artificial Intelligence

Hearing

"The basic question we face is whether or not this issue of AI is a quantitative change in technology or a qualitative change. The suggestions that I've heard from experts in the field suggest it's qualitative. Is AI fundamentally different? Is it a game changer? Is it so disruptive that we need to treat it differently than other forms of innovation? That's the starting point.

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The second starting point is one that's humbling. When you look at the record of Congress in dealing with innovation, technology, and rapid change, we're not designed for that. In fact, the Senate was not created for that purpose but just the opposite -- to slow things down, take a harder look at it, don't react to public sentiment, and make sure you're doing the right thing.

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I've heard of the positive potential of AI, and it is enormous. You can go through lists of the deployment of technology that would say that an idea you sketch for a website on a napkin could create functioning code. Pharmaceutical companies could use the technology to identify new candidates to treat disease. The list goes on. And then, of course, the danger, and it's profound as well.

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I'm glad that this hearing is taking place, and I think it's important for all of us to participate. I'm glad that it is a bipartisan approach. We're going to have to scramble to keep up with this innovation in terms of our government and public response to it, but this is a great start."

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