House launching bipartisan AI task force

The House announced Tuesday that it would be launching a bipartisan task force centered on artificial intelligence (AI).

In a release, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he, along with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), appointed 12 members each to sit on the task force.

The research panel will be chaired by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). The group will produce a report that will include recommendations for the future and bipartisan policy proposals related to AI.

The mission of the task force is to ensure that the United States is leading the world in AI innovation, but also considers the “guardrails that may be appropriate” as the widely-popular emerging technology continues to raise potential security concerns.

“Because advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to rapidly transform our economy and our society, it is important for Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to understand and plan for both the promises and the complexities of this transformative technology,” Johnson said in a statement.

The announcement of the task force comes just a month after a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they would be creating a “Working Group” on AI. The group intends to examine how AI impacts the financial services, housing and business markets and operations.

Lawmakers have appeared tentative about regulating the emerging tech and its potential threats heading into an election year. After a year of hearings and forums that have discussed the risks and benefits of AI, experts have said its time for Congress to act, while many have said they are already behind.

Last September, more than 60 senators met with a panel of tech CEO’s about the use of AI at their companies. Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, were in attendance. Though there was expressed interest in finding solutions, attendees said the hearing centered around broad discussion and lacked consensus on how to regulate AI properly.

Jeffries said in a statement that “certain guardrails” are necessary to protect the public. He said bipartisan solutions are necessary to protect people from “bad actors” who may exploit the emerging tech.

“The Members appointed to this Task Force bring a wide range of experience and expertise across the committees of jurisdiction and I look forward to working with them to tackle these issues in a bipartisan way,” he wrote.

Last October, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order that focuses on AI and managing its risks.