Lawmakers Introduce Slew of AI Bills
Summary
• Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) has introduced the Do Not Disturb Act (H.R. 7116) (bill text available here, section-bysection is available here), comprehensive legislation which aims to curb illegal robocalls. In particular, the bill includes the QUIET Act (H.R. 7123), which was introduced by Reps. Eric Sorenson (D-IL) and Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require disclosure when AI is used in robocalls, and to established increased penalties for the use of AI in that context. Additionally, the package includes Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s (D-IL) R U Real Act (H.R. 7120), which would amend the Telemarketing Sales Rule to require disclosures of AI usage in telemarketing contexts. • A bicameral group of lawmakers have introduced the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024 (S. 3732/H.R. 7197), which would direct NIST to develop standards to measure and report the full range of AI’s environmental impacts, as well as create a voluntary framework for AI developers to report environmental impacts. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alex Padilla (DCA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the bill in the Senate, and Reps. Anna Eshoo (DCA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the bill in the House. • Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act (S. 3686) to address concerns about companies exploiting automated algorithms to collude and inflate prices. The legislation emphasizes transparency, requiring companies to disclose the use of pricing algorithms and allowing antitrust authorities to audit them. Additionally, the bill prohibits the use of competitor data to inform pricing algorithms and directs the FTC to study their impact on competition. • Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (IVT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Laphonza Butler, (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Richard Blumenthal, (D-CT) have introduced the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act of 2024 (S. 3692), which includes measures to prohibit rental property owners from engaging with companies that coordinate rental housing prices and supply information, designate such arrangements as violations of the Sherman Act, and prevent the coordination of price and supply information among multiple property owners.
