Will the US Adopt Its First AI Regulation Law This Year?... Legislative Acceleration Ahead of the Presidential Election

The U.S. Congress has begun legislative efforts to identify content generated by artificial intelligence (AI). With the presidential election approaching next year, there is growing concern that AI-generated fake news is being exploited for public opinion manipulation and incitement, accelerating the pace of legislation.

On the 3rd (local time), Axios, a U.S. political news outlet, reported that it obtained an AI regulation bill introduced by Democratic Representative Ritchie Torres. The core of the bill requires all content produced by AI to be clearly labeled with the statement, "This content was generated by AI." This allows for the identification of fake content produced by AI, and violations of this disclosure requirement will result in civil fines imposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Representative Torres said, "AI is the most innovative technology of our time, but it can also become a weapon of destruction due to the mass spread of misinformation and the resulting confusion." He added, "This technology will be one of the key challenges our Congress will face in the coming years or decades, and this bill will be the starting point for a long journey toward AI regulation."

Foreign media have evaluated the bill's introduction as the beginning of serious discussions on a 'comprehensive AI law.' This bill is not the first regulatory proposal targeting AI. Earlier in March, Democratic Representative Yvette Clarke introduced a bill requiring mandatory disclosure that political advertisements using AI-generated content must state that the content was created by AI. Axios reported, "This bill aims for a larger and more comprehensive legislative package than the one introduced by Representative Clarke."

Separately from this bill, a bipartisan working group has been formed in the U.S. Senate to prepare 'proactive' regulatory measures. In April, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other bipartisan senators announced the initiation of a framework for AI regulation. The regulatory proposal led by Schumer aims to promote AI technological advancement while enhancing security, accountability, and transparency to reduce the risk of misuse of AI technology beyond human control. Schumer urged, "Congress must move swiftly to lay the groundwork for AI regulation."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

This regulatory movement arose as generative AI, such as ChatGPT, capable of creating text, images, and videos, emerged, raising concerns about fake content that AI can produce so realistically and the resulting social, economic, and security losses. Especially with the U.S. presidential election next year, heightened awareness of AI-generated fake news has ignited legislative efforts in Congress.

Similar movements are occurring not only in the United States but also in the European Union (EU) and the Group of Seven (G7). At last month’s G7 summit, leaders agreed to establish international norms related to generative AI like ChatGPT and create international platforms for information distribution.