Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/04/2024 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation: Personnel Board | |
| SB201 | |
| SB177 | |
| SB262 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 201 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 177 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 262 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 262-ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TASK FORCE
4:25:54 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 262 "An Act relating to the
state Artificial Intelligence Task Force; and providing for an
effective date."
4:26:50 PM
GRIFFEN SUKKAEW, Staff, Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, presented the sponsor statement for
SB 262:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Sponsor Statement
SB 262
"An Act relating to the state Artificial Intelligence
Task Force; and providing for an effective date."
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a booming industry.
With advancements becoming more rapid and accessible,
it is important that the State of Alaska keeps up.
In December of 2023, 17 states had enacted 29 bills
focusing on the development and use of AI since 2019.
As of February 2024, that number had grown to 32
states, some with numerous bills on regulating and
monitoring AI.
Texas passed HB 2060 during their 88th Legislative
Session. This bill, like many others, ensures the
design, development and use of AI is informed by
collaborative dialogue with stakeholders from a
variety of disciplines. To accomplish this goal, Texas
created an AI Advisory Council consisting of public
and elected officials, academics and technological
experts. The council was tasked with studying and
monitoring AI systems developed or deployed by states
agencies as well as issuing policy recommendations
regarding data privacy and preventing algorithmic
discrimination.
SB 262 aims to create a Task Force that investigates
the field of Artificial Intelligence. This Task Force
is a way to ensure that the State of Alaska is on top
of this developing technology and can recommend
changes to law. An annual report will be presented to
both bodies of the legislature with a summary of
developments within the state, risks and benefits of
AI and recommendations on how the state should
regulate this ever-evolving technology.
By passing SB 262, the State of Alaska will be more in
tune and able to deal with this new and evolving
technology. I look forward to discussing this issue
with the committee.
4:29:27 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public and invited testimony on SB 262.
4:29:53 PM
DAVID EDMONSON, Senior Vice President, TechNet, Austin, Texas,
said that TechNet is the national bipartisan network of
technology CEOs and senior executives promoting economic growth
through a targeted policy agenda at both state and federal
levels. TechNet has 91 members, representing dynamic American
businesses from startups to major global companies, encompassing
over 4.4 million employees across sectors such as artificial
intelligence, e-commerce, sharing economies, transportation,
venture capital, and finance. AI has the potential to address
significant challenges in healthcare, agriculture, education,
transportation, energy, and national security. With decades of
safe and responsible AI usage, including traffic navigation and
enhancing research, transparency, and fairness guided by ethics
could ensure that responsible AI would lead to a prosperous and
sustainable future. Given the genuine risks associated with AI,
collaboration with experts is important in developing
regulations that address specific consumer harms without
hindering innovation. Getting AI legislation right is critical
for economic success. He said he supports the AI task force
model proposed in the bill, which balances input from industry,
government, and civil society. He proposed amending the
definition of AI to align with the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development's (OECD) updated definition from
November 2023. Nationwide, over 35 public hearings and 70 bills
introduced on AI policy at the federal level. He noted Senate
Majority Schumer's nine AI forums for expert education and the
House's new bipartisan AI Task Force for private and public
forums. He referenced President Biden's executive order on the
safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of AI,
outlining 150 responsibilities for the administration. At the
state level, there has been a surge in AI-related legislation
focusing on misinformation in election advertising and deep fake
imagery. Several states have created or are considering AI task
forces, with bipartisan support for legislation. Texas passed a
bill for an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council focused on
state agency use of AI, while Connecticut established an AI and
government working group that released a comprehensive report.
Florida created a Government Technology Modernization Council to
study and monitor new technologies, and governors in Washington
and Oregon recently signed bills to establish AI task forces.
This approach transcends partisan lines, allowing legislators to
collaborate with experts to navigate the emerging policy
landscape of AI.
4:34:49 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI inquired about the pace of deep fake legislation
and whether a bill passed today would become outdated by
tomorrow. He wondered how various states are addressing this
issue.
4:35:19 PM
MR. EDMONSON stated that a technology-agnostic approach is
crucial in addressing the use of deep fakes, particularly in
elections. Instead of defining the means by which deceptive acts
occur, he suggested that the focus should be on the end result
being perceived as problematic. He referenced Georgia's bill, HB
986, which defines problematic content as materially deceptive
media, encompassing video, audio, or images that appear to
depict a real individual doing something that did not happen but
seems authentic to a reasonable observer. He emphasized the need
for disclosures in such instances and acknowledged concerns
raised by local groups regarding potential liability for
broadcasters. From the industry's perspective, he indicated that
liability should rest solely on the bad actor creating and
distributing the false content with the intent to mislead,
rather than on intermediaries like internet service providers or
cloud providers who may unknowingly host the material. This
approach emphasizes targeting the act itself rather than the
specific technology used to perpetrate it.
4:37:54 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI inquired about the composition of Alaska's AI
task force and whether there are other individuals or groups
involved in similar task forces across the country. Alaska's AI
task force was constructed with representation from the
Department of Commerce, a nonpartisan statewide nonprofit
protecting individual liberties, and organized labor. He pointed
out that this task force is smaller and more focused than many
others and asked if there are additional types of
representatives that could enhance the task force's
effectiveness, considering the current membership appears to
include around ten members.
4:38:45 PM
MR. EDMONSON stated that SB 262 has struck a nice balance in its
composition. He noted that it is challenging to assess the
effectiveness of task forces, as many have been established
recently, either through executive action or legislation, and
are just beginning their work. In comparison to other states, SB
262 effectively combines expertise, state government use, and
civil society representation. He suggested that a size of around
ten members is appropriate, as larger groups can become overly
cumbersome and hinder productive discussions, citing that 30-
member task forces may struggle to be effective.
4:40:12 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI closed public [and invited] testimony on SB 262.
4:41:23 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 262 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| CS SB 201.pdf |
SSTA 4/4/2024 3:30:00 PM |
SB 201 |
| CS SB 177.pdf |
SSTA 4/4/2024 3:30:00 PM |
SB 177 |
| SB0262A.pdf |
SSTA 4/4/2024 3:30:00 PM |
SB 262 |
| SB 262 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SSTA 4/4/2024 3:30:00 PM |
SB 262 |
| SB 262 Sectional Analysis Version A.pdf |
SSTA 4/4/2024 3:30:00 PM |
SB 262 |