Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), a leading member of the United States House of Representatives, is advocating establishing a new agency to regulate AI.
Beyer is vice chair of the New Democratic Coalition's AI working group, with over 100 House Democrats in the House, aiming at developing bipartisan policy approaches to ensure safe and proper use of AI.
The 72-year-old congressman took action to understand the technology, including going back to university to get a master's degree in Machine Learning. The goal of the working group is to establish guidelines and set guardrails that ensure the technology is used safely for everyone.

There is public support in the US for AI government regulation, with most Democrats and Republicans in favour. Other lawmakers and even invited experts have expressed the need for regulation but remain divided on who should oversee the new technology. Some, like OpenAI's Sam Altman, urged lawmakers to regulate AI by creating an independent AI agency to mandate companies disclose how their AI models work.

Why does it matter?

There is growing recognition among lawmakers and experts in the US and elsewhere that AI regulation is necessary to address potential harms and ensure the responsible use of the technology. Now, everyone is looking at Brussels, where the draft of the EU AI Act is in the final stages before becoming law.