Transcript: Senate Rules Committee Hearing on AI and Elections

Gabby Miller is staff writer at Tech Policy Press. Sen, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, September 27, 2023. On Wednesday, the US Senate Rules and Administration Committee gathered to discuss the emerging threat artificial intelligence may pose to elections, and how to put guardrails in place to safeguard democracy, in a hearing titled “AI and the Future of Our Elections.” Led by Chairwoman Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ranking Member Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), the hearing covered a range of topics, such as weighing the benefits and risks of using AI technologies in elections, empowering the Federal Election Commission (FEC) with the ability to protect US elections against fraudulent AI-generated political communications, and prioritizing First Amendment speech protections, among others. Sen. Klobuchar expressed urgency for the Senate to “take the lead” on crafting relevant bipartisan legislation that will pass constitutional muster before the end of the year. The Rules Committee is the only committee in the Senate where Sen. Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) both serve, making it an important forum for drafting legislation with higher odds of success.  Witnesses included: Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State (written testimony) Trevor Potter, former Commissioner and Chairman of the FEC (written testimony) Maya Wiley, President And CEO, The Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights (written testimony) Neil Chilson, Senior Research Fellow, Center For Growth And Opportunity At Utah State University (written testimony) Ari Cohn, Free Speech Counsel, TechFreedom…Transcript: Senate Rules Committee Hearing on AI and Elections