Washington, D.C. – TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, sent a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in advance of its hearing on “Leveraging Agency Expertise to Foster American AI Leadership and Innovation.” The following statement can be attributed to TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore:
“AI has the potential to help us solve the greatest challenges of our time from health care, agriculture, and education to transportation, energy, and national security. However, recognizing and addressing the genuine risks associated with AI is crucial for its responsible advancement. While China is striving to win the AI battle, America must lead the way in its development and deployment to ensure AI is implemented responsibly across the globe.
“With growing interest in Congress to promote America’s leadership in the development and deployment of AI and continued support for data privacy protections, now is the time for Congress to enact a federal data privacy law. Thirteen states have passed comprehensive data privacy laws, including eight just this year. This growing patchwork of privacy laws will cost our economy more than $1 trillion over ten years, with $200 billion being paid by small businesses.
“Many of the issues that Congress is exploring in the AI space are fundamentally questions of data policy. As the Committee continues to examine American AI leadership and evaluate the best way forward on issues unique to the development and deployment of AI models, we urge lawmakers to come together and pass a preemptive federal data privacy law that protects consumers’ data and privacy no matter where they live, while providing businesses certainty about their responsibilities.
Read our letter here.