Communications and Technology

ALEC Leads on ‘Sensible, Constructive’ Artificial Intelligence Policy

"The ALEC model represents a welcome alternative to heavy-handed AI regulatory measures that have recently advanced in California and Colorado."

As state legislators prepare for the next round of artificial intelligence bills coming in 2025, ALEC’s Model State Artificial Intelligence Act was highlighted in The Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project as “the best option for states to ensure life-saving AI innovations can come about” and show leadership on emerging technology policy.

Governments need a better policy vision to address concerns about new AI applications while also ensuring that the U.S. continues to produce cutting-edge innovations to compete against China and the rest of the world.

While Congress still needs to step up and craft a sensible national policy vision for AI, state policymakers are going to continue to want to “do something” to show leadership on this front. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently formulated a model state AI Act that lawmakers across the nation could use to constructively engage on this complex, fast-moving set of issues.

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The ALEC model bill invites technology innovators to work together with the state government to foster new AI applications and inform regulatory approaches by creating partnerships that mitigate regulatory risks.

As part of this process, the model legislation would allow innovators to apply for “regulatory mitigation agreements,” which would reduce certain requested regulatory burdens for a specified duration, scope, and number of users. This “sandbox” would help innovators reduce regulatory risk for experiments and help the state learn which regulations are and are not necessary.

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The ALEC model represents a welcome alternative to heavy-handed AI regulatory measures that have recently advanced in California and Colorado.

Congress is unlikely to craft that federal approach any time soon, however. This leaves something like the ALEC model AI legislative framework as the best option for states to ensure those life-saving AI innovations can come about.

Check out the full article here.