A short amendment introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky) for addition to the GOP's "one big, beautiful" budget bill would essentially take all regulatory guardrails off artificial intelligence for the next decade. Buried in the proposed amendment is this clause:
"… No State or political subdivision … may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act."
Just a few paragraphs before that clause, the amendment outlines appropriation of $500 million "to remain available until September 30, 2035, to modernize and secure Federal information technology systems through the deployment of commercial artificial intelligence, the deployment of automation technologies, and the replacement of antiquated business systems …."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), among others, has endorsed the idea, saying it will create a "regulatory sandbox for AI" and provide the framework to "accelerate economic growth, secure U.S. dominance in AI, and beat China."
Bob Maginnis, author of the upcoming book "AI for Mankind's Future," tells AFN that's a very bad idea. "Ten years is way too long to wait. AI today will be so radically different ten years from now. We've got to put quick guardrails," he urges.
Maginnis predicts that in ten years AI will basically be the software that's running the world. "Government and national security, it seriously impacts command and control, all the autonomous systems," he warns.
But the national security expert does admit it's critical to get control of the technology before China or any of America's other adversaries do.
"You know what Putin said five or six years ago … 'The person that controls AI controls the future of mankind' – and I think there's a lot of truth to that," he concludes.
