Senate Bill 313 would align the state with President Joe Biden's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, a set of principles unveiled last fall to guide the design and deployment of AI-based systems.
Dodd said Monday the language of the bill is continually evolving, and he plans to amend it to require notice when people are interacting with AI-driven government communications. It would also create the Office of Artificial Intelligence under the state Department of Technology.
Dodd said technologies driven by artificial intelligence, such as the tremendously popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, have a lot of practical applications. But he said the technology should not ape the same human tenancies that give rise to discrimination and other unfair practices.
"When you've got AI making decisions for mortgage loans, for credit card loans, are they doing it the same way with the same laws that protect people of color?" he asked. "We can't go backwards on the progress that we've made here in the state of California in terms of protecting people rights."
SB 313 has its roots in an AI-generated legislative resolution Dodd introduced on Jan. 30, affirming Biden's AI Bill of Rights. Accompanying Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 was news release, also generated by an AI language model, complete with quotes attributed to Dodd.
"It even had my own quotes that I never said," Dodd said.
On Monday, Dodd assured The Press Democrat that it was he and not a voice Chatbox being interviewed.
Dodd's SB 313 emphasizes the need for AI innovation to be "guided by principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability" in protect people's rights. The bill also states that the design, development and deployment of AI systems must not discriminate against residents "on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic ..."
One of the criticisms of Biden's AI Bill of Rights is that it lacks enforcement actions. Dodd said he hopes policies and rules that protect people's rights in the age of artificial intelligence are still in their infancy.
He said he hoped the requirement that state government notify residents when they're receiving AI-driven communication is a first step. Dodd said more of that kind of transparency is needed in the private sector.
© 2023 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
