Blumenthal and Hawley’s AI Act framework contains five pillars. They are:
- Establish a Licensing Regime Administered by an Independent Oversight Body
- Ensure Legal Accountability for Harms
- Defend National Security and International Competition
- Promote Transparency
- Protect Consumers and Kids
News reports indicate that this framework will form the basis of a forthcoming proposed bill to govern AI.
Licensing and Oversight Agency Ensuring Harm Accountability and Transparency
As CSET’s Executive Director noted in his testimony before the House Science Committee in June 2023, “we may need to create a new…agency or organization….to check how AI is being used and “to license AI software.” In order to appropriately license firms developing AI technology, we need to define the key elements of AI safety, responsibility, and harm we want these companies to mitigate before deploying these tools to the public. Since 2020, CSET has worked to define frameworks and databases of AI Incidents and Accidents. CSET’s ongoing work with the AI Incident Database offers a helpful starting point for structuring, and cataloging these AI harms and working to protect people from premature (and possibly negligent) releases of these tools. Likewise, our ongoing efforts to provide simple explainers on issues like reporting, provides policymakers with concise, accessible analyses of various policy options to ensure accountability.
We are exploring potential use of market incentives, as well as legal regimes and options to use tort liability, to ensure companies prioritize human well-being over financial interests.
National Security and Competitiveness
Since our founding, CSET has focused on the national security implications of emerging technologies, especially AI. Our research on Russian, Chinese, and other nations’ AI advancements, and semiconductor supply chains have informed policy relevant policy discussions. For example, CSET work has informed export and outbound investment controls, among other restrictions. In addition to enabling these defensive approaches, CSET’s work on talent and competition, especially high-skilled immigration, STEM education, and workforce development highlight opportunities for the U.S. to offensively “run faster” in this critical technology.
Future Work
CSET has been at the vanguard of policy research on AI, and we hope our work continues to inform policy proposals like the Blumenthal/Hawley framework. In the coming months, we expect to release additional research that can help further clarify the most important elements of these technologies to build around. We look forward to continuing to engage in this vital conversation.