Washington State Seeks to Balance AI and Privacy
Washington state should balance efforts to foster AI with protecting residents' privacy and other rights, Attorney General Nick Brown (D) said in a Tuesday news release. The Washington State AI Task Force released an interim report Monday, Brown’s office said.
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"AI has the potential to create enormous benefits for our state, but unregulated deployment of this technology can entrench discrimination, erode personal privacy, and displace workers,” said Washington AG Nick Brown (D). “This report provides sensible policy recommendations for the legislature and the governor that strive to balance innovation and economic growth with the protection of individual rights, particularly the rights of historically marginalized or disadvantaged groups."
The task force’s interim report contains several recommendations, including to require “AI developers to publicly disclose information about the provenance, quality, quantity, and diversity of datasets used for training AI models," Brown’s office said. The report also recommended that developers and deployers of high-risk AI systems, those which affect health and other fundamental rights, should implement and publicize AI governance frameworks and risk management strategies.
The state report noted that, under President Trump, “the federal government’s reaction to the rising tide of AI has been to adopt a largely deregulatory stance aimed at expanding the AI economy and preserving U.S. leadership in the global AI race … Congress has also pushed to reduce oversight and regulation of AI.”
“With AI becoming more powerful and prevalent in society, and the federal government unable to advance any meaningful regulation, state policymakers have a critical role to play in protecting personal liberties and ensuring that the development and use of AI aligns with societal values,” added the report.
The task force released a preliminary report on Dec. 30, 2024, and plans to release a final report on July 1 next year.