Latest news with #ELVISAct
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Illinois AI laws at risk in U.S. budget bill
The U.S. Senate is weighing a provision in the budget, which already passed the House, banning the enforcement of state artificial intelligence laws for 10 years Why it matters: For many AI skeptics, state laws represent a bulwark against privacy, security and potential discrimination risks as the technology gains rapid acceptance at the federal level by the Trump administration. Zoom in: Since 2024, Illinois has passed at least three AI laws that would be nullified for a decade if the provision passes. " The ELVIS Act," which Illinois passed after Tennessee to prohibit AI-generated digital replicas of a person's image, likeness or voice without consent. A change to the Illinois Human Rights Act last year restricts employers from using AI in discriminatory ways as part of the hiring process. A new law was passed through the General Assembly this year that would make Illinois the first state to require online mental health therapists to be real licensed people, not AI-generated therapists. What they're saying: "Even if a company deliberately designs an algorithm that causes foreseeable harm — regardless of how intentional or egregious the misconduct or how devastating the consequences — the company making that bad tech would be unaccountable," a coalition of 140 tech, civil society and education groups said in a letter to House leaders. The other side: During OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Senate testimony last month, he emphasized the importance of clear federal rules and said it's onerous for the industry to have to operate under different rules in different states, Axios Pro reported. The intrigue: At least one House member, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who voted for the budget bill, said she wasn't aware of the AI provision and would have opposed it. Illinois Republican Reps. Mike Bost, Mary Miller and Darin LaHood all voted for the bill and did not immediately respond to Axios' questions about support for the AI provision. What's next: Some Republican Senators, including Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have said they don't support a state AI law ban.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee AG joins bipartisan group opposing federal ban on state AI regulation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Attorney General is leading a bipartisan letter to Congress pushing back against a federal proposal that would prevent states from regulating artificial intelligence, claiming it would directly harm consumers. The measure to prohibit states from enforcing AI regulation is included in an amendment to the Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Tax Bill.' The letter was signed by Attorneys General in Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → The proposal would give the federal government sole control of AI regulation, which the AI industry has long lobbied for. Meanwhile, TN was the first state to pass a bill last year to protect musicians' voices and likenesses from AI, called the ELVIS Act. In addition, lawmakers passed another bill this past legislative session criminalizing deepfakes. However, Mark Williams, Vanderbilt Law School professor and co-director of Vanderbilt's AI Lab told News 2 the federal government is focused on more than just deepfakes. Some believe the United States needs to master AI to have power over China. 'We're no longer talking about just ChatGPT. We're talking about AI's ability to basically be involved in military, or energy, or computer chips. Just this sort of international global trade scale where competition over being the leaders of the free world,' Williams said. 'The stakes are getting that big, where the people at the highest levels of government are taking winning at AI that seriously. It's not just about chatbots. It's about the general supremacy of who is going to be the leader of the free world as this technology continues to proliferate.' Williams added the states' idea of regulating AI looks different. 'If you're the Tennessee Attorney General, getting it right for you means protecting residents in Tennessee from these specific use cases that are easier than ever to do,' Williams said. 'Whereas for the people who are pushing preemption, it means we think AI is important enough as a geopolitical benefit and risk that we can't leave it to the 50 different states to decide what regulation looks like.' ⏩ Williams doubts the amendment in the bill will pass, but he said it could start a larger conversation about which government, states or federal, should have the ability to regulate AI. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
