Kelly, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Consumer Literacy and Confidence in AI
This week, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Consumer Literacy and Empowerment to Advance Responsible Navigation of Artificial Intelligence (Consumers LEARN AI) Act, bipartisan legislation to enhance consumer awareness and confidence in the use of Artificial Intelligence products and services.
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly integrated into everyday products and services, from virtual assistants to personalized healthcare solutions, but despite its growing presence, many consumers lack a comprehensive understanding of AI and its implications. The Consumers LEARN AI Act seeks to bridge this gap by creating a national literacy strategy, providing specific AI use case guidance, and conducting a national media campaign to help consumers to make informed decisions.
“AI technologies have the potential to significantly improve our daily lives, and we must empower Americans to be well-informed about AI’s capabilities and limitations,” said Kelly. “This legislation is a critical step toward ensuring that individuals have the knowledge and tools needed to navigate cutting edge AI technology responsibly. This bipartisan effort underscores our commitment to protecting consumers while fostering innovation.”
“Artificial intelligence has a real ability to benefit the lives of Americans across numerous industries – health care, banking and business, just to name a few,” said Rounds. “Consumer literacy is a critical piece of keeping the United States ahead of the curve on artificial intelligence development and adoption. The Consumers LEARN AI Act will help consumers learn the opportunities and potential risks of the latest advancements in AI, and how they can use it to enhance their daily lives.”
See what industry, consumer advocacy, education, and policy experts are saying about the Consumers LEARN AI Act:
“AARP, which advocates for the more than 100 million older Americans age 50 and older, is pleased to endorse the Consumers LEARN AI Act. This legislation will create the first-ever national strategy and literacy campaign to ensure that consumers have the requisite AI knowledge and literacy to engage with this new technology safely. AARP applauds this bipartisan effort to ensure that more consumers understand how AI works and how it is already being used in the marketplace. Empowering older Americans with this information will not only help protect against fraud and abuse but will also help unlock the positive potential for AI to transform our economy,” said Bill Sweeney, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at AARP.
“Senators Kelly and Rounds have demonstrated exceptional leadership in introducing the Consumers LEARN AI Act,” said Patrick Gaul, Executive Director of the National Technology Security Coalition. “This critical legislation will develop a comprehensive national strategy for AI consumer literacy and launch a nationwide campaign to educate consumers on artificial intelligence. The National Technology Security Coalition commends the Senators for their forward-thinking approach in ensuring that all Americans are well-informed and prepared to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI.”
“The increased prevalence of AI makes it critical for consumers and businesses to understand what AI is and isn’t, what it should and shouldn’t be used for, and what best-practices are for utilizing AI. A bedrock of IBM’s long-standing trust and transparency principles is AI must augment – not replace – human intelligence. A key part of this is informing people when they’re interacting with AI and explaining the capabilities and limitations of the technology. We applaud Senators Kelly and Rounds for introducing the Consumers LEARN AI Act, which helps ensure consumers learn more about AI, so they have the awareness and confidence to utilize AI to its fullest potential,” said Daniela Combe, Vice President of Emerging Technology Advocacy at IBM.
“While AI is not a new phenomenon, it is becoming increasingly more mainstream and integrated into products and services that are used by everyday citizens. The Consumers LEARN AI Act is a necessary step to build consumer AI confidence by developing awareness and literacy campaigns. It is encouraging to see this bill go beyond schools and classrooms—where digital literacy campaigns are traditionally focused—to develop guidance for the safe and beneficial use of AI for all American consumers,” said Ali Crawford, Research Analyst at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
“A tidal wave of opportunity and risk is coming with AI, and we are unprepared. AI literacy is the most valuable tool for people to overcome fear of AI and to prepare for these changes,” said Susan Gonzales, CEO of AIandYou. “This legislation is a significant step forward and is required to avoid creating a greater digital divide in the days ahead. Senators Kelly and Rounds are to be commended for their leadership in AI literacy for consumers.”
“BSA welcomes the introduction of the Consumers LEARN AI Act and its focus on improving US national AI literacy. Legislation that helps build consumer trust and AI literacy helps to both spur the adoption of responsibly developed artificial intelligence and spread its benefits more widely across the economy,” said BSA, The Software Alliance.
In addition to these experts, the Consumers LEARN AI Act is also supported by Consumer Action, GoDaddy, and the Hispanic Tech & Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP).
