Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Supporting Bipartisan AI Legislation

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the necessity of passing bipartisan legislation addressing artificial intelligence. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping our world as we know it. Every industry – healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and others – will in some way be impacted by AI and must be prepared when that moment comes. That includes the federal government.

As more federal agencies begin to incorporate AI into their operations, it is critical that they have a clear and established set of guidelines to manage this technology safely and effectively.

So, I was pleased that yesterday, Chair Peters and Senator Tillis introduced a bipartisan bill to make sure the federal government is proactive in harnessing AI’s potential, while managing its very real risks.

This legislation will establish some of the first guidelines for the responsible procurement of AI by the federal government. The guidelines in this bill will be essential for the federal government to deploy AI so it protects people’s civil rights, prevents bias, and ensures people’s privacy.

These protections are critical not just for the application of AI in the federal government, they are important for the application of AI in every industry.

I commend Chair Peters and Senator Tillis for introducing this legislation. It’s a great example of both sides working together to legislate effectively on AI.

And as we’ve said, we first had our AI forums, we then put out our roadmap, and now our committees are beginning to work on specific legislation. I’m very, very proud  that we’re moving forward in this regard.  

And we had another opportunity to work together to pass bipartisan AI legislation last night when Senator Durbin tried to pass his DEFIANCE Act, which cracks down on non-consensual AI pornography and holds those responsible for the sharing of graphic images and videos.

Sadly, despite the bill having bipartisan support, one member – only one member – from the other side of the aisle stood in the way and blocked its passage.

I hope this is not the norm moving forward. I hope both sides can continue working together – like Chair Peters and Senator Tillis did – to harness the potential of AI, while protecting against its risks.

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