In a bid to provide more flexibility to test and develop new tech, Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Wednesday introduced a new ‘sandbox’ bill that would let AI companies apply for exemptions from federal regulations.
Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, while adressing subcommittee hearing, talked about how Congress can lower regulatory barriers for the US tech sector to provide an edge over China.
“A regulatory sandbox is not a free pass. People creating or using AI still have to follow the same laws as everyone else,” Cruz said at the hearing.
How will AI ‘sandbox’ will help spur innovation?
If the bill, relating to AI regulatory sandbox, is passed by the Congress, it will allow agencies that oversee federal regulations to consider applications from companies to be exempt from regulations for two years at a time
However, it will require companies to outline the potential safety and financial risks and how they would mitigate them.
This comes after major tech firms including OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms have urged the Trump administration to lower regulatory barriers for AI development. The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy responded saying it will gather public comment on what regulations pose hurdles to the industry.
Federal regulators oversee rules meant to ensure health data privacy, transportation safety, financial market stability and more.
How will the sandbox bil impact the AI regulations enacted by different states?
Cruz’s sandbox bill does not include a ban on state regulation, though the tech industry demanded for it and the White House noted it as a necessary step to boost innovation. Earlier, an attempt to include a 10-year freeze on state regulations in President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending package failed in the Senate, with lawmakers voting 99-1 against it in July.
Several US states have introduced their own AI regulations:
“These types of very anti-innovation regulations are a huge problem for our industry,” OSTP director Michael Kratsios said at the hearing, adding that Congress should revisit the possibility of preempting state laws.
“It’s something that my office wants to work very closely with you on,” he told Cruz at the hearing.
