The fight over AI’s harms has played out state by state. One US senator wants to make it federal, all at once.
Ed Markey has a long list of worries about artificial intelligence. Thirsty data centres. Workplace surveillance. Biased algorithms. Chatbots that prey on children. On Friday the Massachusetts Democrat tried to turn that list into law.
In an exclusive with the Guardian, Markey unveiled a package of bills he calls an “AI accountability agenda,” built around “taking power back from big tech.” The 79-year-old senator has already written close to a dozen AI bills. This is his attempt to tie them together.
Prove your data centre won’t do harm
The centrepiece is a bill due in the coming weeks. It would force any company that owns or plans a data centre to get certification from the Federal Communications Commission before construction begins. That certification would have to confirm the site “will not harm the public interest.”
