Federal lawmaker raises concerns over a proposed AI bill in Georgia

This story was originally published by Georgia Recorder.

A bill aimed at preparing Georgia for the continuing proliferation of artificial intelligence did not get a committee vote Wednesday after Alpharetta Republican Sen. Brandon Beach, chair of the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee, said a Georgia GOP Congressman put the kibosh on it.

“I can tell you that I got a call from Congressman Rich McCormick asking us not to do anything on AI, saying that they were going to do it at the federal level,” Beach said. “It’s a federal issue in his mind, and he thinks that the United States is competing with China and other countries, and if each state does something different, it’s going to be this state’s doing this, that state’s doing that, and he thinks it needs to come from the federal level.”

“I’m not saying we’re not going to pass it because of what Congressman McCormick said,” he added, “but I do want to talk to you offline, because I do have some concerns that if each state does something different, do we have any continuity, if you will, from the overall United States?”

Beach was speaking to Roswell Republican Sen. John Albers about Senate Bill 37, officially called the AI Accountability Act.

The bill creates a definition for AI in state code and requires local governments to publish data on how they are using AI and the safety and ethical precautions they are taking. It also creates a state board on artificial intelligence, with 12 members, four each appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker. The board’s primary job would be to create plans to advise governments on AI usage.

In a phone call after the hearing, Albers said he hasn’t heard from McCormick and that Beach’s suggestion that the bill could step on the toes of a Congressional plan is incorrect because his bill only deals with state and local issues.

“This has nothing to do with anything the federal government could do anyway, so he’s just clearly mistaken and not familiar with this bill because this bill pertains to local and state governments, making sure that we are prepared as a state, as well as we have the right people guiding us through this important time,” he said.

Albers said he’d be happy to see Congress take action on national AI issues, but he’s not holding out hope.

“The federal government should engage in certain aspects of AI and other things, although their track record tells me they never will get anything done,” he said. “But if they did, I’m sure that would be great because there are a patchwork of different laws, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that.”

McCormick’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Sandy Springs Democratic Sen. Josh McLaurin joked that he did not want to harm the bill’s chances by supporting it in the Republican-dominated Legislature, but echoed Albers’ assessment.

“You can imagine a federal bill governing the substance of how AI operates, and this is more of an accessory role to advise and guide state and local governments, and the federal legislature would never set up something that would do that,” he said.

“If we need to change the congressman’s mind, I’m always happy to pack out a town hall in Roswell,” McLaurin said, referencing a now-viral meeting with constituents that grew heated last week.

“Y’all did it once, you can do it again,” Beach said.

Over the Board

Some Republicans on the committee questioned the creation of a new state board, given the Senate’s recent passage of the “Red Tape Rollback Act,” a priority bill of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones intended to cut government redundancy.

“On one hand, we’re cutting red tape and trying to cut down bureaucracies, and if you create a board for artificial intelligence, I’m kind of curious where that goes. What are we trying to do there?” asked Sen. Frank Ginn, a Danielsville Republican.

Albers said the board will be made up of experts in AI who can share their knowledge with local governments and state agencies. Board members would not receive a salary, but they could be compensated for expenses incurred from their duties up to $105 per day.

“The boards that we typically have are used to provide wisdom to both the executive and legislative branches on things that are important to the state,” Albers said. “Think of the Board of Public Safety, the Board of Corrections, things of that nature. So it’s not necessarily creating red tape, senator, in this case, it’s having that group of people help to guide all of us because they are the industry experts.”

“I’m still at a loss,” Ginn said. “OK, if I go to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, they decide who’s getting out, who’s not. The Board of Natural Resources makes the rules on whether we’re going to drain the swamp or not. But I look at it and I’m like, okay, I don’t know what artificial intelligence – I’m trying to think, I’m trying to get my arms around, ‘OK what’s the decisions that they would make?’”

Albers said the board would make recommendations, not decisions, and help ensure local governments and state agencies have correct information and are using AI safely without stifling innovation.

“I always remind people we’ve been the No. 1 place for business that we like to brag about all the time for the last 11 years now,” he said. “In the future, if we’re not the No. 1 place for AI, we will not be the No. 1 place for business.”

Beach also expressed concern about creating a new government board, but said he would talk to Albers outside of the meeting and give the bill another hearing.

Sylvania Republican Sen. Max Burns said his distrust for boards is outweighed by his dismay at genocidal machine intelligences. Burns invoked the fictional murderous AI HAL 9000 from “2001: a Space Odyssey” in explaining his support for the bill.

“That actually established the evidence of AI overtaking the universe, so I appreciate Chairman Albers’ bill, I think it is reasonable,” he said. “I’m fundamentally opposed to boards, but we have to have something here to provide oversight.”

To have a clear shot at becoming law, the AI bill will need to pass out of committee and the full Senate by Crossover Day, March 6.

Albers said he’s optimistic.

“I feel confident that the majority of the Senate, and I believe, my friends in the House of Representatives, understand how important this is,” he said. “AI is the biggest thing that’s going to happen in our lifetime and we need to have basic things in place as a state and local governments and we need to make sure we have a smart group of AI people helping to guide us in that process so we can make sure we do it right.”

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.