Does Congress trust Biden and Harris to oversee AI? Lawmaker Doubts They Can ‘Run An iPhone’

WASHINGTON DC- Congressional lawmakers agreed that AI needed federal oversight, but many were skeptical of the ability of President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the effort.

“I wouldn’t trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be able to successfully exploit an iPhone, let alone be a focal point of AI politics,” Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told Fox News. “Having said that, there are Democratic Party thinkers here on the Hill who I think are weighing these issues very thoughtfully: Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna.”

Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher told Fox News, “Neither the president nor the vice president should run AI. It’s a very complicated subject.”

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Biden and Harris met with tech executives earlier this month to discuss potential risks and opportunities around AI. This week, the White House announced new initiatives to improve AI research and development, study its impact on the education system, and invite public comment on AI-related priorities to ensure “fairness.” .

The Biden administration, Capitol Hill lawmakers and AI developers are beginning to agree that AI needs regulations to manage risk. But who should lead the point is still a point of contention.

President Biden has said his administration is committed to addressing bias in algorithms, protecting privacy and combating misinformation. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat, said Biden and Harris should lead the White House’s AI efforts as a team.

“Nobody really has their hands on it and nobody has the right prescription, so you’re going to need them both involved in AI,” she told Fox News.

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But Rep. Tim Burchett disagreed.

“We have to fix it, but those two aren’t the ones,” the Tennessee Republican said.

“Government involvement in this is only going to make it worse,” Burchett continued. “The market has to drive this thing.”

A handful of DC residents also told Fox News last week that Harris would not be able to effectively manage the executive office’s AI efforts.

Vice President Kamala Harris met with executives from OpenAI, Microsoft and Alphabet earlier this month. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)

Some lawmakers have said a commission of AI experts would be better off pushing White House AI initiatives.

“I don’t have much faith in either President Biden or Vice President Harris, but I think we need to have industry experts in the room, people who understand the technology behind AI,” said Republican Representative Nathaniel Moran. “It can help both the legislative branch and the executive branch to solve the practical problems of AI.”

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Rep. Dan Crenshaw doubted Biden or Harris could “really do anything with AI.”

“Maybe it’s a commission looking into it,” the Texas Republican said.

To watch the full interviews with lawmakers, click here.