BSA | The Software Alliance released its 2024 US Policy Agenda this week, and with it, issued a call to action for lawmakers in Washington and state capitols nationwide.
BSA is urging lawmakers to spread the benefits of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) and other enterprise technology across the economy. What does that look like? Here’s a quick breakdown.
- Workable AI legislation that focuses on risks and builds trust
BSA is urging policymakers to make this a year of action to support the responsible development and use AI. We will continue to work with lawmakers and be a loud voice calling for meaningful legislation. Companies developing and deploying AI systems should be required to have risk management programs and perform impact assessments on high-risk uses. Strong national laws help give businesses, the government, and consumers greater confidence to adopt responsible AI-enabled tools. As more and more state lawmakers introduce AI legislation, and as the Biden administration implements dozens of new federal actions on AI over the coming year, BSA will continue to help lead the charge for thoughtful rules for AI – including in Congress. - Clearer rules for government use of technology
AI and IT are empowering workers to help organizations of all kinds improve services and be more productive. It’s no secret that making use of commercially available solutions would go a long way toward improving government services for the public. There are eight different regulatory efforts currently underway affecting how the federal government can make use of enterprise technology, including AI and cybersecurity products (among other options). If the White House and Office of Management and Budget can provide some strong leadership across agencies, it’s possible these processes can be coordinated to make significant progress. Also, the government can work to take the essential step of more fully embracing multi-cloud technology to unlock greater competition and a range of services that otherwise would not be available. - Finishing work on a federal privacy law
Laws governing privacy and data are foundational to an effective policy approach to AI. Fifteen US states have now passed comprehensive privacy laws that give consumers confidence in how their information is protected, and certainty to controllers and processors of data regarding their obligations in handling sensitive personal data. Key leaders in Congress remain committed to passing comprehensive federal privacy legislation as well. As part of our 2024 advocacy, BSA will continue to engage with lawmakers in Washington to urge overdue action on a comprehensive federal privacy law.
There is plenty more to BSA’s advocacy and agenda: Check out the full document here. We’ll continue to monitor these issues and more in the months to come.
