Federal AI Regulation Stalls Before Congress Returns in January

WASHINGTON: Congressional action on artificial intelligence regulation has stalled, and the 120th Congress could take up the matter when lawmakers return in January. Lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the midterms without resolving where the federal government should sit in overseeing the technology. Barry Jones, a Vice President at the AI governance company X2X, said current private oversight does not go far enough. "But to say that something is self-governing is like having the fox watching the henhouse," Jones said. "You really need to have a third party, layer in some cases, even the government saying these are the things that I can do and I cannot do."

Jones said human involvement in AI systems remains necessary. He described a scenario in which an AI assistant prepares financial reports, calling it a productive tool, then raised the risk of that system providing critical financial information outside a company's internal workings. Goldman Sachs estimates 300 million jobs will be impacted by the technology by 2030. Microsoft recently announced buyouts for 60,000 employees due to AI, according to Jones.

Members of Congress split on the federal role before leaving Washington. Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican from Georgia, said giving the federal government a role out of regulation is generally preferable. "We don't want to stifle innovation. But at the same time, we got to get this right," Carter said. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said the United States needs to address risks from increasingly powerful AI systems and that such decisions belong to the American people through their representatives.

Jones said private oversight is creating roles that technology has replaced. For people changing careers because of AI, he offered guidance: "Start learning AI," Jones said. "Understand how it applies to your profession. Also understand that judgement, experience, trust and accountability matter. The goal shouldn't be to compete with the machine. The goal should be to become someone who knows the useful power of the technology and using it responsibly."

X2X operates as an AI governance company. The 120th Congress convenes in January, and regulation of artificial intelligence remains on the docket for that session.