Utah, North Carolina AGs Create Bipartisan, Safety-Focused AI Task Force
The Republican and Democratic attorneys general of Utah and North Carolina, respectively, announced an AI Task Force that will collaborate with the technology's developers, including Microsoft and OpenAI, to ensure it's safe for consumers, they said Thursday.
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The group will work with law enforcement, stakeholders and other experts to “identify emerging AI issues,” including privacy, so AGs are “equipped to protect the public,” a press release from Utah AG Derek Brown (R) and North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson (D) said.
Additionally, the group will found a forum to track AI developments and coordinate responses to challenges that emerge.
Jackson said the task force fills a hole that federal lawmakers have left. “Congress hasn’t put basic protections in place, and we can’t wait. As attorneys general, our job is to keep people safe.” He added, “Taking thoughtful steps now will help prevent harm as this technology becomes more powerful and more present in our daily lives.”
Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer at OpenAI, said state AGs "have a key role in making sure this technology earns people’s trust and delivers real benefits for communities.”
Kia Floyd, Microsoft general manager of state government affairs, said that by “partnering with state leaders and industry peers, we can promote innovation and consumer protection to ensure AI serves the public good.”
For AG Brown, “Freedom means being free from manipulation or exploitation by powerful technologies.” The group “is committed to defending our freedoms and our privacy while also building a safer digital world for our families and our children.”
Brown and Jackson previously opposed a federal AI moratorium that would have prevented states from enforcing laws involving AI for10 years. Though the Senate version didn't pass this year, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said it could come back (see 2507210042).
The group is "being facilitated in partnership with the Attorney General Alliance," the release said.
In a blog post Friday, Kelley Drye lawyers noted that “the Attorney General Alliance has previously facilitated many conversations on the topic” of AI. The lawyers predicted “more expansive” conversations about AI, and that “states will look for creative ways to bring enforcement actions using their existing UDAP [Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices] authority and any newly-granted authority specific to AI.”
The alliance, which is led by western state AGs, last month said that the popular gaming platform Roblox will be an industry partner in its youth online safety initiative (see 2510290020). A former FTC privacy attorney questioned Roblox’s motivations for partnering with the association, though the state AG group defended the collaboration (see 2510310016).