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US Introduces AI Legislation Addressing Environmental and Ethical Concerns

US Senators introduced the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024, aiming to establish standards for measuring and reporting AI's environmental impacts. Additionally, Washington state advanced bills to form an AI task force and enhance AI transparency. These legislative efforts highlight a growing focus on balancing AI innovation with environmental and ethical responsibilities.

US AI Legislation Update

US Senators Introduce AI Environmental Impacts Bill

On February 1, 2024, US Senators introduced the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024. This proposed legislation tasks the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with developing standards to measure and report AI’s full range of environmental impacts and creating a voluntary framework for AI developers to follow.

Key Provisions:

• Within two years of enactment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with NIST and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), must conduct a comprehensive study on AI’s environmental impact.

• NIST will convene a consortium of stakeholders to identify future measurement standards and methodologies.

• Establishment of a voluntary reporting system by NIST for AI’s environmental impacts, along with guidelines for reporting entities.

• A report will be submitted four years after enactment by the EPA and NIST with legislative recommendations to mitigate negative impacts or promote positive ones.

Washington State's AI Task Force Bill

Senator Nguyen introduced Senate Bill 5838, aiming to establish an Artificial Intelligence Task Force. After its initial reading on January 8, 2024, the bill was referred to the Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology. The bill, a companion to House Bill 1934, was passed by the Committee on Ways & Means on February 5, 2024, and sent to the Rules Committee for a second reading on February 7, 2024.

Impact:

• The task force will assess the development and use of generative AI by private and public sectors.

• Recommendations will be made to the legislature regarding standards for the safe, private, and ethical use of generative AI systems.

• The bill clarifies the distinctions between AI and Generative AI.

AI Foundation Model Transparency Act

On December 22, 2023, US Representatives introduced the AI Foundational Model Transparency Act in response to concerns over the public's exposure to inaccurate or biased information from AI models.

Key Provisions:

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will set transparency standards for foundation model deployers, requiring public disclosure of key information to consumers.

• Companies must provide details on the model’s training data, training mechanisms, and whether user data is collected during inference.

• The Act aims to protect small deployers and researchers while ensuring transparency from high-impact foundation models.

These legislative efforts underscore a significant shift towards comprehensive AI regulation, addressing both environmental sustainability and ethical transparency in AI development and deployment.

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