PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The impact of artificial intelligence has never been clearer nationwide and its rapid emergence is putting Pennsylvania lawmakers on notice.
"In my lifetime, I haven’t seen anything develop this rapidly and be adopted this quickly," said State Representative Robert Merski (D-Erie County).
"AI is literally permeating every part of our society whether we like it or not," said State Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery & Berks County). "We are trying to kind of put the horse back in the barn, but that horse is long gone."
The quick growth of the technology has become a wild wild west landscape, that many lawmakers are now trying to corral. On February 13, Merski, along with a handful of other lawmakers, hosted a discussion on artificial intelligence at a House Majority Policy hearing that included a wide range of experts on the technology.
"We have to understand it and from understanding it we can create legislation that does three things: number one, protects consumers, number two, keeps people safe and number three ensures public trust," said Merski. "It's advancing at a breakneck pace and we have to make sure that we are addressing these needs because it’s already being used."
Merski is one of many lawmakers who are pushing legislation to address AI concerns. There are more than a dozen bills and resolutions with bipartisan support awaiting a committee hearing.
The new legislation includes a push to create an advisory committee to conduct a study on the field of artificial intelligence and its impact on Pennsylvania, the use of AI in the election process, mandatory disclaimers on AI-generated content and protections against AI voice and image fakes among other potentially serious crimes.
Lawmakers say the impact AI has on every sector is vast, for better or for worse.
"You look across all of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from agriculture to education, health to PennDOT, there are ways artificial intelligence can enhance what we’re doing but there’s also ways it can harm what we’re doing," said Merski.
Republican State Sen. Pennycuick took over as co-chair of Pennsylvania's Communications and Technology Committee in January 2023 and says what once started as discussions on cybersecurity have quickly transitioned to AI in the one year she has held the position.
"Everything is the conversation about AI, how do we protect individuals’ image, their thoughts, their words, their writings, their reputation in some cases. So, we have completely shifted our focus," said Pennycuick.
The devastating impact of AI was more recently put into the national spotlight. In January the New Hampshire attorney general's office investigated robocalls that used AI to replicate President Joe Biden's voice and discourage voters in the state from coming to the polls during its primary election. Later that same month, explicit images of Taylor Swift created by the technology were leaked online.
It left lawmakers here in the Commonwealth asking themselves, what if?
"For me, this is about regular people and understanding that a lot of damage could be done if we don’t rein this in," said Merski.
Lawmakers add it highlights the many dangers AI poses and emphasizes to both Democrats and Republicans that safeguards need to be implemented urgently.
"We are working very hard across the aisle in both the House and the Senate to make sure that they are protected and that they are exposed to AI in a responsible legal way," said Pennycuick.