Wisconsin lawmakers consider regulating AI use in elections and as a way to reduce state workforce
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin lawmakers were set to vote on the floor Thursday on legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, joining a growing number of states grappling with how to control the technology as the November election looms.
The General Assembly would vote on a few bills. The first is a two-pronged measure to require political candidates and groups to include disclaimers in ads that use AI technology. Violators face a fine of $1,000.
More than half a dozen organizations have registered in support of the proposal, including the League of Women Voters and state newspapers and broadcasting associations. No groups have registered against the measure, according to state Ethics Commission data.
The second bill is a Republican-authored proposal to conduct an audit of how government agencies use AI and require agencies to investigate how AI can be used to reduce the size of the state government workforce. However, the bill does not contain specific targets for staff reduction. Only one group – NetChoice, an association of e-commerce companies – has registered in support. No other group has registered a position on the bill.
A number of other AI-related bills, including plans to ban the use of AI to create child pornography or use a person’s likeness in an image of nudity in an attempt to harass that person, are floating around this legislative session the legislature, but have yet to be discussed. receive a floor vote in the General Assembly or Senate.
AI can include a wide variety of technologies, ranging from algorithms that recommend what to watch on Netflix to generative systems like ChatGPT that can help with writing or creating new images or other media. The wave of commercial investment in generative AI tools has sparked public fascination and concern about their ability to deceive people and spread disinformation.
States in the US have taken steps to regulate AI over the past two years. In total, at least 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia introduced artificial intelligence bills last year alone.
Lawmakers in Texas, North Dakota, West Virginia and Puerto Rico have created advisory bodies to study and monitor the AI systems their government agencies use. Louisiana formed a new security commission to study the impact of AI on state operations, procurement and policy.
The Federal Communications Commission earlier this month banned robocalls using AI-generated voices. The move came in the wake of AI-generated robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice to discourage voting during New Hampshire’s first primary in January.
Advanced generative AI tools, from vote cloning software to image generators, are already being used in elections in the US and around the world. Last year, as the US presidential race got underway, several campaign ads used AI-generated audio or images, and some candidates experimented with using AI chatbots to communicate with voters.
The Biden administration has issued guidelines for the use of AI technology in 2022, but these mostly include far-reaching goals and are not binding. Congress has yet to pass federal legislation regulating AI in political campaigns.