US senators unveil AI policy roadmap, seek government funding boost

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called on Wednesday for a big jump in government research funding of artificial intelligence as they debate new legal safeguards.
Generative AI – which can create text, photos and videos in response to open-ended prompts – has spurred excitement as well as fears that it could make some jobs obsolete, upend elections and potentially overpower humans, with catastrophic effects.
Joined by Republicans Mike Rounds and Todd Young and Democrat Martin Heinrich, Schumer released a roadmap that draws on expert input to broach thorny issues arising from the rapid advance of AI.
The senators backed a goal in a commission report to reach government funding of at least $32 billion a year for non-defense aspects of AI innovation.
“This is a time in which the dollars related to this particular investment will pay dividends to the taxpayers of this country long term,” Rounds said.