Addressing the Gap in Communication About AI's Impact on the American Workforce
In a recent communication from Representative Gerald E. Connolly, detailed information was provided about the current state and future prospects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within both societal and governmental contexts. While the letter extensively covered advancements, regulatory measures, and significant investments in AI, there was a conspicuous absence of discussion on one critical issue: the impact of AI on job displacement within the American workforce.
The Content of the Communication
Representative Connolly's letter eloquently detailed various aspects of AI development and implementation. It highlighted the vast investments being made in AI, both from private and public sectors, and discussed new initiatives such as the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes. Additionally, it touched upon the global leadership role the U.S. aims to maintain in setting standards and regulatory frameworks for AI.
The letter also outlined significant legislative efforts aimed at promoting safe and responsible AI development. This includes support for the AI Training Expansion Act of 2023, aimed at broadening AI training for federal employees, and the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which seeks to combat the misuse of AI in creating deceptive synthetic media.
What Was Missing?
Despite the comprehensive coverage of these topics, the communication did not delve into the potential repercussions of AI and automation on job displacement—a pressing concern for many American workers. As AI technologies evolve and are increasingly integrated into various sectors, the risk of job displacement grows. The automation of routine and even complex tasks can lead to significant shifts in employment patterns and demands for different skill sets.
Why is Discussing Job Displacement Important?
Discussing the impact of AI on job displacement is crucial for several reasons:
Preparation for Transition: Workers need to be prepared for the changes in the job market. This includes retraining and upskilling opportunities to ensure that the workforce can transition to new roles that AI and automation are creating.
Policy Development: It is imperative for policymakers to consider how AI affects employment so that they can develop targeted policies to support affected workers. This could include safety nets for those displaced and strategies to encourage the creation of new job opportunities.
Public Confidence: Transparency in discussing all aspects of AI, including potential job losses, is vital for maintaining public trust in how the technology is being managed and implemented.
Moving Forward
As AI continues to reshape various facets of our lives, it is important for public officials like Representative Connolly to address all dimensions of AI impact, including economic shifts and job displacement. Engaging with this issue openly can help in formulating more inclusive and forward-thinking policies that ensure the benefits of AI advancements are shared broadly across society.
Call to Action
We must encourage our leaders to address these concerns directly. Engaging in dialogues, reaching out through letters or town halls, and expressing our concerns are all vital steps in ensuring that the transition to an AI-integrated society does not leave anyone behind. As constituents, staying informed and proactive in policy discussions is our right and responsibility.
In conclusion, while the advancements in AI are promising and the efforts to regulate its use are commendable, a holistic approach that includes addressing the workforce implications is essential for navigating the future effectively. Let's hope future communications from our representatives will provide a more balanced perspective that includes the socioeconomic impacts of AI.
Content of the letter:
Dear Mr. Bihan-Poudec:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and implications of AI in the present and future. I appreciate your interest in these matters and your views are important to me.
While well-known AI applications, such as virtual AI assistants like Alexa and Siri, help us play music or find directions, and are already well-integrated and accepted as a part of daily life, lesser-known AI applications are also playing a significant role in helping better society. For example, scientists are currently using AI to help aid the research and development of new clinical drugs, banks have bolstered their cybersecurity measures to better protect clients from identity fraud, and city planners are using new AI tools to improve traffic congestion for communities across the world. As AI continues to advance, its use cases are becoming endless.
Just ten years ago, machines struggled to reliably identify images, and today national militaries are using AI analysis of satellite imagery to determine missile and artillery strikes. While this technology is life-changing, it must be used responsibly. In 2017, researchers set out to train an AI model to identify cancerous lesions using clinical images. While researchers initially hailed this experiment a success, they later realized their algorithm's "diagnoses" were not informed by the lesion in the photo, but rather by the presence of a dermatologist's ruler used to measure particularly concerning skin wounds. This error was a matter of life and death.
The United States must continue to invest in AI R&D to better understand and further develop this powerful technology. Over the past ten years, the private sector has invested $249 billion into AI development and the world's top five AI companies are headquartered in the U.S. On the public side, the President's fiscal year 2023 budget request included $1.8 billion for nondefense research and development investment in AI, but AI technology has already been embraced by many federal departments. In a December 2023 report, the Government Accountability Office found that the federal government was already employing more than 1,200 current and planned artificial intelligence (AI) use cases. These uses include anything from allowing the Department of Commerce to automate the counting of birds captured in photographs to the Office of Personnel Management using natural language processing to identify better matches between prospective candidates and posted job opportunities on USAJOBS.
Furthermore, in May 2023, the National Science Foundation announced a $140 million investment to establish seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes and advance a cohesive approach to AI-related opportunities and risks. In addition, agencies like the National Institutes of Health invested $5.9 million into the University of Virginia to fund research into how artificial intelligence can support care for diverse populations. These investments are critical, but the AI race remains competitive. If the U.S. fails to continue to support investment in this technology, we will be left behind by the rest of the world.
While traditional research and development tools like data and training models can improve technology, so can federal government leadership in setting standards, guidance, and regulatory frameworks. Establishing clear and transparent rules of the road builds trust with the public and establishes users' security and privacy protections.
AI regulatory frameworks around the world will reflect the values of their own governments and societies, and these nascent frameworks matter because they will influence future iterations of AI innovations. In China, for example, the government requires AI companies to "uphold core socialist values" in providing their service. It is essential, therefore, that the United States lead in AI governance, or the nation risks ceding foundational control to adversarial forces eager to influence the future of AI.
President Biden's Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, along with OMB's draft Implementation Guidance, does just that. These frameworks lead a comprehensive society-wide effort to ensure AI best serves and protects the American people. The President's E.O. builds on the important action this Administration has taken on AI to date, including the creation of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework. Both of these documents aim to provide transparency into the technology and protect the civil rights of the American public.
As the Representative of the Silicon Valley of the East, I support provisions in the E.O. to bolster our federal AI workforce. The President is accelerating the hiring of AI professionals, while simultaneously offering AI training for employees at all levels in relevant fields, so that agency personnel are ready to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.
President Biden's Executive Order and OMB's draft Implementation Guidance are essential for implementing this technology safely and responsibly across the federal government and society broadly. Congress, industry, and the Administration must now work together to ensure the nation meets the important goals of the Executive Order, and to continually seek, define, and measure improved regulatory thresholds as this technology evolves. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to encourage the safe and responsible development and use of AI.
The use of Artificial Intelligence can provide us with valuable tools and cost-saving measures, but any developments must be accompanied by protection from abuse and malpractice. That is why I voted in favor of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which highlighted the importance for democratizing access to national AI research cyberinfrastructure. Furthermore, we must also support policies that preserve the integrity of truth and provide transparency to users. That is why I joined a letter, led by Rep. Kilmer and the New Democrat Coalition's AI Working Group, that requests leaders of prominent generative AI and social media platforms provide information to Congress outlining their efforts to monitor, identify, and disclose deceptive synthetic media content.
Turning to legislative work in the 118th Congress, I am a proud co-sponsor of the AI Training Expansion Act of 2023 (H.R 4503), a bill which builds upon the 117th Congress's Artificial Intelligence Training for the Acquisition Workforce Act by expanding the definition of those eligible to participate in AI training courses and updating the course curriculum. Furthermore, to combat the slew of deepfakes, 96% of which can be characterized as non-consensual pornography, almost exclusively targeting women, I am a proud co-sponsor of the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act (H.R 3106). This bill would establish a legal precedent against the creation of non-consensual creation of deepfake images. It would also establish legal protections for victims who seek relief and anonymity from a case relating to deepfakes.
It is necessary to find bipartisan solutions to address the dangers inherent to AI technology, without unnecessarily sacrificing our innovative edge. AI is already changing the world around us in many ways, and we need to step up to the challenge and mitigate the risks. The federal government must ensure this technology is created, deployed, and used in a safe, ethical, and equitable manner.
Once again, thank you for expressing your concern on this very important issue. I enjoyed hearing from you. For official statements and more information on my views on other issues, please feel free to visit my website at http://connolly.house.gov and sign up for my email newsletters at connolly.house.gov/forms/emailsignup/. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates on my work in Congress and the 11th District. If I may ever be of service, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Gerry Connolly
Member of Congress
GC/JG
