The Download on the Senate AI Roadmap

After nearly a year of work and numerous insight forums, the Senate AI Working Group released their much-anticipated "Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Policy in the United States Senate." The Roadmap, developed by Senators Schumer, Young, Rounds, and Heinrich, contains over 80 recommendations intended to guide Senate Committees on critical areas and issues they should continue to address. Many of the Roadmap’s recommendations align with those long championed by the Chamber including:

• Authorization and funding of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR). As part of the Chamber's nine recommendations last September to the Senate, we highlighted the importance of federal investments in AI research to enhance computing power and support America’s competitive advantage in innovation.
• Legal Gap Analysis.The Roadmap calls for Senate committees to determine where gaps exist in current law with respect to AI. Where potential gaps fall within a Committee’s jurisdiction, the Senate AI Working Group recommends Committees develop legislative language to address such gaps. In March 2023, the Chamber’s bipartisan AI Commission made the same recommendation by calling on Congress to take a risk-based approach to AI when gaps exist in current law.
• CHIPS and Science Act Funding. The Roadmap also underscores the urgency of fully funding the CHIPS and Science Act, landmark bipartisan legislation to advance U.S. semiconductor capacity, as well as research and development. The Chamber has long advocated for 'appropriate levels of investment for research and development of quantum computing and other complementary emerging technologies.” The Chamber expanded on this point in its September AI policy letter by highlighting that “Congress has taken a first step in this area with the CHIPS and Science Act, which authorized research and development funding for AI and quantum computing.”
• Preparing the AI Workforce. Finally, the roadmap calls for “relevant committees to consider legislation to improve the U.S. immigration system for high-skilled STEM workers in support of national security and to foster advances in AI across the whole of society.” This is another step in the right direction, as the Chamber has called for Congress to provide American businesses greater access to work-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas for highly skilled and educated workers.

The Chamber sees the roadmap on artificial intelligence as a significant step forward for America’s global technological leadership. At the same time, there are concerns that the Roadmap fails to address the need for a cohesive international strategy on AI and how to obtain the necessary expertise within the federal government. The Chamber looks forward to continued engagement with those advancing this essential work.

About the authors

Michael Richards