| Happy Tuesday! Senators this week are reintroducing a raft of children's safety and privacy bills. Send reactions and tips to: cristiano.lima@washpost.com.
Below: The Federal Trade Commission has new guidance for generative artificial intelligence, and an industry group pushes to keep child care in the Commerce Department's chip funding plans. First: | AI-driven political ads are here. This lawmaker is sounding the alarm. |  Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) is pushing to require the disclosure of AI use in political ads. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) | | | The Republican National Committee last week released a political ad taking aim at President Biden's reelection campaign that the group said was generated entirely with artificial intelligence. | | While it's unclear whether the ad is a harbinger for how common the tool may become on the 2024 campaign trail, its release kicked off debate about the ethics and implications of the move. One House Democrat is now pushing to regulate the practice, proposing legislation Tuesday to require the disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) told my colleague Isaac Stanley-Becker for a story out today that the bill is part of a push to "get the Congress going on addressing many of the challenges that we're facing with AI." "Our current laws don't begin to scratch the surface with respect to protecting the American people from what the rapid deployment of AI can mean in disrupting society," she added. Clarke told Isaac the RNC ad was the immediate impetus for the bill, and that while the committee publicly disclosed how it was generated, others may seek to hide future AI use. | | "There will be those who will not want to disclose that it's AI-generated, and we want to protect against that, particularly when we look at the political season before us," Clarke said. The Democratic National Committee pilloried the ad, saying in a statement that the GOP "had to make up images because, quite simply, they can't argue with President Biden's results." Political advertising is the latest front in the debate over AI regulation in Washington, where lawmakers for years have fretted over the prospect of AI ads misleading voters. The bill's introduction is likely to renew discussions about to what extent AI-generated political ads are already covered under existing rules, and whether lawmakers should fill any gaps requiring that candidates and campaigns disclose when the tool is being used. Asked on Monday about the RNC's ad, Federal Election Commission Vice Chairman Sean Cooksey told The Technology 202 that the rules on the books will likely be up to task to deal with concerns about AI use in political ads. "As technology like AI evolves and political campaigns continue to innovate, the regulatory solutions will likely remain the same," said Cooksey, a Republican. "Disclaimers and 'stand by your ad' statements tell the public who is behind political messages and create accountability." Cooksey added, "As the FEC's recent rulemaking on internet disclaimers makes clear, the rules apply regardless of the medium, and AI-created ads are no different." A recent study out of the University of Kentucky found that roughly half of AI-generated ads online are labeled as such. While the study was not focused on political ads, it may offer a glimpse into a future where campaigns more frequently use the tool. While the debate over AI use in political ads is only just heating up, transparency has been a major focus of other efforts to rein in the technology. Clarke and other lawmakers have separately proposed legislation requiring companies to vet automated tools and AI-driven products for potential biases. The Algorithmic Accountability Act would also force companies to disclose data about those impact assessments to the Federal Trade Commission and task regulators with making metrics about the tools available to the public. | | Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are leading the effort in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently launched a new push to regulate AI that focuses on transparency. His office said he is working on developing a framework "to deliver transparent, responsible AI while not stifling critical and cutting-edge innovation." | | |  | Our top tabs | | FTC warns companies to not jettison AI ethics personnel |  The Federal Trade Commission guidance said that generative AI platforms can be used to deceive consumers, such as when ads are customized or tailored to people in specific demographics. (Alex Brandon/AP) | | | The Federal Trade Commission advised companies using generative AI that it's "perhaps not the best time" to remove staff dedicated to AI ethics and responsibility, according to guidance released Monday. The agency is concerned that, amid mass adoptions of generative AI tools, a lack of ethics staff can push companies to roll out technologies with unforeseen harms. "If the FTC comes calling and you want to convince us that you adequately assessed risks and mitigated harms, these reductions might not be a good look," wrote attorney Michael Atleson, who sits in the agency's advertising practices bureau. The guidance said that generative AI platforms can be used to deceive consumers, such as when ads are customized or tailored to people in specific demographics or when "dark patterns" are used to trick users into making unwanted decisions. "People could easily be led to think that they're conversing with something that understands them and is on their side," it says. Our colleagues previously reported that major tech companies like Twitch, Microsoft and Twitter have been laying off AI ethics staff while simultaneously pouring resources into AI tools that can mimic human speech, write code, generate images and automate tasks. OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing AI chatbot are among several language tools that have gained popularity, though they have drawn concerns about how they perpetuate biases and produce inaccurate accounts of individuals. | White House investigating companies' use of AI surveillance software |  As remote work became more prevalent during the pandemic, companies started utilizing remote monitoring systems to help ensure their employees didn't break rules or lose focus while working. (Jenny Kane/AP) | | | The White House is probing companies' use of AI software that monitors and manages workers, Josh Eidelson reports for Bloomberg News. The request for information seeks input from advocacy groups, employees, researchers and other stakeholders over how workplace surveillance technologies are utilized by employers, as well as their "economic, safety, physical, mental and emotional impacts," according to the report. "While these technologies can benefit both workers and employers in some cases, they can also create serious risks to workers," according to a blog post written by deputies from the White House Domestic Policy Council and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The blog also cites media reporting on how the surveillance technologies have been used by companies around the United States. To contend with remote work, companies started implementing remote monitoring systems during the pandemic to ensure their employees didn't break rules or lose focus, though some contend the technology has serious privacy and security risks. | Tech industry group urges Commerce Department to keep child care conditions in chip funding plan |  Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks before President Biden signs the Chips and Science Act during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House last year. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) | | | A tech industry group is urging the U.S. government to maintain incentives outlined in a major semiconductor law, including a guarantee for affordable child care for workers building or operating a chip production facility, Lauren Feiner reports for CNBC. The letter from Chamber of Progress to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo comes amid pushback from conservatives who argue some provisions in the Chips and Science Act, such as a requirement that funding applicants disclose how their projects create opportunities for minority-owned or women-owned businesses, deviate from the purpose of the law. "What President Biden is doing by jamming woke and green agenda items into legislation we pass is making it harder for him to ever get legislation passed again," said Chips and Science Act supporter Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in a report from the Associated Press. Raimondo contends that such policies are essential for the industry. "In the letter, they argue that incentivizing child care is good business. It will encourage more women and people from underrepresented racial backgrounds to enter or remain in the chip manufacturing field, they wrote, an essential step for the industry to maintain a robust workforce," Feiner writes. The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship also joined in the letter to Raimondo. | | |  | Rant and rave | | | Twitter's desktop interface experienced a glitch yesterday where some users kept getting logged out of their accounts. Jezebel's Laura Bassett: | | Twitter account @CreationTrippin: | | Texas Legislative Black Caucus communications director Hector Mendez: | | |  | Agency scanner | | | |  | Inside the industry | | | |  | Competition watch | | | |  | Workforce report | | | |  | Trending | | | |  | Mentions | | | Left-leaning advocacy group Accountable Tech has hired five new staff members: | - Robbie Dornbush as its chief of staff, who previously served as chief of staff and special assistant to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
- Bianca Recto as its communications director, who previously served as communications director for media start-up More Perfect Union.
- Nash Alam as its senior aampaign manager, who previous was a digital organizer for Groundwork Collaborative.
- Alison Rice as its campaign manager for youth initiatives, who previously worked with the Hub Project and NextGen America.
- Alyssa Sanchez as its operations manager, who previously worked with Oregon Futures Lab.
| | |  | Daybook | | - The Wall Street Journal convenes the first day of its Future of Everything Summit at 9:15 a.m.
- New America holds an event titled "Taming the Digital Frontier" at 10:20 a.m.
- The Center for Data Innovation holds an event titled "What Should Congress Include in The Next National Quantum Initiative Act?" at 11 a.m.
- FTC Chair Lina Khan and Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter discuss franchising and hear from franchise industry leaders at 3 p.m.
- Stanford University holds an event titled "Generative AI and the End of Trust" at 3 p.m.
| | |  | Before you log off | | | That's all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Make sure to tell others to subscribe to The Technology 202 here. Get in touch with tips, feedback or greetings on Twitter or email. | |
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