Technology

Lawmakers navigate AI’s promise, perils in health care

by TheHill.com 05/24/24 03:18 PM CDT

A CES attendee wears an iSync Wave EEG helmet at the iMediSync booth during the CES tech show, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. iSyncWave is the first-ever integrated EEG and neurotherapeutics device that provides telemental care through an AI digital brain health platform. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Friday, May 24, 2024

LEADING THE DAY

Lawmakers navigate AI’s promise, perils in health care

Image © AP

For all its promise to enhance, impact and disrupt different areas of life and the economy, leaders in the artificial intelligence (AI) space are increasingly embracing the potential benefits in advancing the science of health care.

States have taken notice. The California legislature this week advanced measures that would require health care providers to tell patients when they are interacting with a chatbot, and set limits on insurance providers’ use of AI in making coverage decisions.

Georgia lawmakers approved bills to prohibit health care providers from relying solely on AI in making decisions on patient care. Lawmakers in Utah and Colorado approved AI bills this year that regulated the health space, too.

Legislators are only beginning to tiptoe into the AI space. They’re finding health care is the easiest, most bipartisan inroad.

Read the full story from Pluribus News here

Welcome to Tech Friday, a joint project of The Hill and Pluribus News covering tech policy across government.

IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK

Image © AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

DOJ sues Live Nation, Ticketmaster

The Justice Department and 30 attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, alleging the companies block competition in the live entertainment industry. The suit accuses the companies for anti-competitive behavior. Read more at The Hill.

Schumer wants AI bills

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged committee chairs to advance legislation regulating artificial intelligence. Schumer and Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (R-N.M.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) released a report laying out priorities for future AI bills. Read more at The Hill.

FTC chair raises AI antitrust concerns

Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan said this week that companies that train their AI models with data from news websites and artists’ creations could violate antitrust laws. Khan said the FTC is looking into whether data scraping could limit competition and violate privacy rights. Read more at The Hill.

IN BUSINESS THIS WEEK

Nvidia soars to new heights

AI chipmaker Nvidia announced a 10-to-1 stock split and saw shares surge to more than $1,000 after announcing banner earnings in the first quarter. Nvidia reported expected revenue of about $26 billion in the first three months of the year. Read more at The Hill.

Meta considers charging for AI

Meta is considering charging users for an advanced version of its AI-powered assistant. Meta would join Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic in charging subscription fees for their chatbots. Read more at The Information.

Magnificent Seven performance this week

AMZN -1.4%, AAPL -1.3%, GOOG -0.2%, META -1%, MSFT +1%, NVDA +9.9%, TSLA +0.1%. NASDAQ 100 Technology Sector: +0.33%.

IN THE STATES THIS WEEK

Image © Getty

California advances social media bills

California legislators approved bills to impose damages on social media companies for harms done to children; a children’s data privacy act; and a measure barring companies from showing teens “addictive” algorithms. Major tech companies spent more than $1 million lobbying against the bills. Read more at Pluribus News.

Minnesota approves novel data privacy law

Minnesota lawmakers gave final approval to a measure that would give consumers a set of rights when automated systems make decisions based on their data profile. The bill bars companies from retaining data for longer than necessary. Read more at Pluribus News.

Nebraska sues TikTok

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) sued TikTok Wednesday alleging the social media app’s algorithm provides minor users with harmful content without proper consumer warnings. Read more at The Hill.

ON OUR RADAR

May 29: Salesforce and HP report first quarter earnings.

May 29-31: CoinDesk’s Consensus conference, the longest-running crypto conclave, takes place in Austin.

2026: Apple is expected to roll out an all-screen foldable MacBook with a new M5-series chip. The new model is expected to cost much more than current MacBook lines. Read more at 9to5Mac.

Do this …

State lawmakers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence-driven chatbots to draft reports and legislation: A Texas House committee used AI tools to produce its first report to the full legislature last week, and this week Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed a law regulating deepfake videos that the sponsor, Rep. Alex Kolodin (R), wrote with the help of ChatGPT. Work smarter, not harder! Read more at The Hill and Pluribus News.

Don’t do this …

Remember that political consultant who admitted using a deepfake of President Biden’s voice during the New Hampshire primary? He faces 13 counts of felony voter suppression and misdemeanor charges of impersonating a candidate. The Federal Communication Commission levied a $6 million fine against Steve Kramer, once a strategist for Rep. Dean Phillips’s (D-Minn.) erstwhile campaign. Read more at The Hill.

You’re all caught up! See you next week.

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