AI Values Take Center Stage in Senate Hearing, Sen. Cruz Announcement
By Paul Steidler: A pivotal development at today’s hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness was Senator Ted Cruz announcing he will introduce a legislative package to support and build upon the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan. The aim is to help America win the AI race and ensure that our values prevail in the world of AI development.
As Chairman of the full Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Cruz’s views have much sway across party lines. He has successfully worked on bipartisan matters before, such as making sure the Take it Down Act became law.
The Senator’s remarks were direct and urgent.
“America is in an AI race against China. Thankfully, the President understands that this race is existential to the future of the American economy and, frankly, our values,” said Senator Cruz.
Among other areas, the legislation is essential for “countering attempts by foreign governments to censor Americans” as well as “defending human value and dignity, including reinvigorating bioethical considerations in federal policy and opposing threats to human dignity and flourishing.”
The consequences are dire if America fails to lead.
“The governance and applications of AI across the world will reflect the nation that leads in its development. If the United States fails to lead, those values will not be American values, but the values of regimes that use AI to control rather than to liberate. If China wins the AI race, the world risks an order built on coercion and surveillance.”
In particular, this is a wake-up call to a group of 33 conservative intellectuals who, on January 29, issued a manifesto that was heavily critical of U.S. AI development and called for expansive government regulation of it.
Adam Thierer, Senior Fellow of the R Street Institute, who has decades of established conservative bona fides on tech policy, provided a comprehensive rebuttal. He said the manifesto’s authors “push for the reshaping of society by unnamed elites and hint that, in the name of protecting families from the evils of modern technology, sweeping government interventions will be needed to decelerate the pace of change and exert greater control over the direction of our economy and culture.”
Like Senator Cruz, the Trump Administration recognizes the urgency of winning the AI race with China and having American values prevail in AI systems. Under repeated questioning at today’s hearing, Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, emphasized that U.S. AI models will be “truth-seeking and accurate” while also avoiding ideological biases, pursuant to an Executive Order from President Donald J. Trump.
In the real world, the U.S. must maintain and widen its AI lead over China. Even if it were wise to do so, America does not have the luxury of time to devise an expansive new federal regulatory framework for AI, as the manifesto’s authors want.
Godspeed to Senator Cruz as he works with members of both parties to ensure America is the AI leader and that our values prevail. And may all the naysayers about American AI take his views to heart.