Sen. Mark Warner: AI Adoption Needs Additional Legislation Safeguards

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has raised potential areas for artificial intelligence legislation to further regulate the technology’s adoption. Speaking at the recent Federal News Network’s AI and Data Exchange webinar, Warner described President Joe Biden’s AI executive order as broad and needs further legislation like the proposed Federal AI Risk Management Act of 2023 that he co-authored with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. 

According to Warner, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, the bill reinforces the Biden EO directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create AI standards and structure government use of AI, Federal News Network reported Tuesday. 

The senator, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, further cited the potential risks of AI use in manipulating U.S. elections and market activities. 

To address the latter risk, Warner co-sponsored with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., the Financial Artificial Intelligence Risk Reduction Act requiring the Financial Stability Oversight Council to direct its member agencies’ response and penalties on financial market manipulation through AI. 

Warner is looking at a collaborative strategy for legislating safeguards on federal agencies’ AI use, saying Congress needs federal workforce inputs and suggestions. The senator also disclosed that he is currently consulting tech companies on developing voluntary guidelines to prevent AI misuse in elections.

On March 21, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual AI Summit, where federal leaders and industry experts converge to explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence.