WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, September 12, at 10 a.m. MT/12 p.m. ET, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Founder and Co-Chair of the Senate AI Caucus, will join Washington Post Live with U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Co-Chair of the Senate AI Caucus, to preview an upcoming congressional forum on artificial intelligence and discuss bipartisan efforts to address the risks and benefits of the rapidly evolving technology. 

WHEN:        Tuesday, September 12, at 10 a.m. MT/12 p.m. ET

WHERE:      Washington Post Live 

RSVP:           https://atasept12.splashthat.com/

On Wednesday, Senators Heinrich and Rounds, along with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Todd Young, will convene a first-of-its-kind AI Insight Forum that will bring together top experts from different industries with varying viewpoints around artificial intelligence. Wednesday’s Forum will help accelerate the committee process by getting to the root of AI: where to start, what questions to ask, and how to move forward.

Background:

As a mechanical engineer, Heinrich has always been acutely aware of and interested in scientific advances and emerging technologies. This background has enabled him to take a lead role in Congress in understanding and addressing complex scientific issues, particularly with the evolution of artificial intelligence.

In 2020, Heinrich helped usher the most significant advancements for AI ever secured. The FY21 National Defense Authorization Act included a modified version of my Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act (AI-IA), a comprehensive national strategy aimed at bolstering U.S. leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and development. This legislation also included the bipartisan National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act to establish National AI Research Institutes at universities across the country.  

Additionally, Heinrich helped pass the Artificial Intelligence for the Armed Forces Act to advance the Department of Defense’s AI capabilities. Heinrich also helped provide the Pentagon with enhanced hiring authorities to recruit more AI professionals and other personnel with computational skills relevant to military applications. 

Heinrich also worked to establish the National AI Research Resource Task Force (NAIRR) to develop a detailed roadmap for the development of a national AI resource for AI research and convened a group of technical experts across academia, government, and industry to develop a detailed roadmap for how the United States can build, deploy, govern, and sustain a national research cloud and associated research resources. 

 A recommendation to establish the NAIRR came from the final report of the National Security Commission on AI, and work done by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) significantly advanced the concept. This past January, the NAIRR Task Force released its final report with a roadmap for standing up a national research infrastructure that would broaden access to the resources essential to AI research and development.

 In July, Heinrich introduced the CREATE AI Act, legislation that implements many of the recommendations of the NAIRR Task Force, providing AI researchers and students with greater access to the complex resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence. 

Heinrich maintains a lead role on Leader Schumer’s bipartisan working group as the Senate takes steps toward comprehensive legislation to address emerging AI. Since June, the group has met every couple of weeks to strategize on policy solutions, particularly ahead of upcoming AI Insight Forums. These meetings have been very productive — enabling the Senators to engage in candid conversations about their respective interests and concerns.