Senators respond to technological advances and limitations of AI.
This week the full Senate received a classified briefing by intelligence and defense officials, including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, on artificial intelligence (AI) this week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had requested the meeting to inform senators so that they may appropriately craft legislation surrounding the technology.
Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said, “Understanding how these models work is really important.“ He continued that the technology predicts what seems like a good response, which is “very different from actual intelligence and understanding that this is kind of a statistics game that’s getting better over time, but oftentimes doesn’t have any guardrails built into it.”
“These models are not built to tell you the truth,” Senator Heinrich added. “They’re built to tell you something that sounds like an appropriate English language response.”
Though AI’s limitations pose a challenge in a culture that is already filled with inaccurate information, senators stated that simply banning AI is nearly impossible.
“I know of no technological advance in human history you’ve been able to roll back,” said Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “The question is how do we build guardrails and practices around it so that we can maximize its benefits and diminish its harm.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Majority Leader Schumer as he oversees proceedings in the Senate.
- For wisdom and discernment for the senators as they begin to create “guardrails” for AI technology and use.
- For DNI Haines and Deputy Defense Secretary Hicks as they inform governing officials regarding AI.
Sources: The Hill, The U.S. Senate
