Week of January 29, 2024
Your coworkers are likely to be really happy or really disappointed today depending on their love or hatred of last night’s big winners. Regardless, we’ll be tuning in for the big game as the San Francisco 49ers prepare to take on the defending champs Kansas City Chiefs.
A different showdown will be happening in Washington this week, as the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from several tech CEOs on how internet platforms are addressing children’s online safety. More on that below.
Congress is facing a packed schedule with talks of tax, immigration, spending, and of course, AI. There will be several more AI-related hearings this week on housing, IP and copyright, and veterans affairs. There will also be a significant focus on China’s use of emerging tech, as the nation’s top cyber experts will appear before the House Select Committee on the CCP.
What We’re Watching:
Senate Judiciary’s Children’s Online Safety Reckoning: The long-awaited children’s online safety hearing in Senate Judiciary takes place this Wednesday, as members will hear testimony from five tech CEOs from X, TikTok, Snap, Meta, and Discord, on measures their companies are taking to combat child sexual exploitation. Washington has been a buzz about the hearing given the Committee’s subpoenas to certain companies to compel testimony. Members have had a steady focus on getting legislation across to ensure certain online protections for children and shift the burden of responsibility from parents to tech platforms, passing several bills including STOP CSAM, the REPORT Act, and EARN IT, which all provide enhanced CSAM reporting measures tech companies must adhere to. The hearing will likely bring heated discussions on issues including age verification, reporting standards, AI, and more. While the REPORT Act made it across the finish line at the end of last year, it remains to be seen if the other bills will garner the full Senate’s attention.
House CCP Committee To Hear From Top Cyber Officials: The House Select Committee on the CCP is holding back-to-back hearings this week to drill down on ways in which China supports U.S. adversaries, as well as China’s use of cyber threat actors and its impacts to national security. The cyber hearing will include the nation’s top cyber officials including General Paul Nakasone, Commander, United States Cyber Command, CISA Director Jen Easterly, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and the newly appointed Director of the Office of the National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. The hearing will focus on several recent cyber attacks, some aimed at the federal government, with an origination from Chinese threat actors. The hearing signals the Committee’s commitment to hone in on the U.S. competition and national security concerns of China’s use of advanced and emerging tech.
Federal AI Weekly Updates: Per usual, the House and Senate will hold several hearings this week on how AI is interacting with different sectors including housing, veterans affairs, IP and copyright, and implementation within the legislative branch. Members are continuing to work to understand AI development and deployment, but comprehensive legislation remains a long shot. On the regulatory side, the White House is out today with a new fact sheet detailing agency successes in implementing the President’s executive order on AI. Agency’s are displaying the key steps they have taken on AI, including through gathering industry and stakeholder input on issues regarding hiring for skilled AI positions, red teaming efforts, privacy, secure development and more. Additionally, agencies are looking outside of the EO’s directives on AI as well, as evidenced by the FTC’s recent actions in launching an investigation into large AI companies' competition practices.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on AI and the future of privacy - Monday, January 29 at 3:30 PM ET
House Administration Committee hearing on AI in the legislative branch - Tuesday, January 30 at 10:30 AM ET
House Financial Services hearing on strengthening CCP sanctions and exploring alternatives to bureaucratic regimes - Tuesday, January 30 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Judiciary hearing with tech CEOs - Wednesday, January 31 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Banking hearing on AI and housing - Wednesday, January 31 at 10:00 AM ET
House CCP hearing with cybersecurity officials - Wednesday, January 31 at 11:00 AM ET
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing on current and emerging tech - Thursday, February 1 at 9:30 AM ET
House Judiciary IP Subcommittee field hearing on AI and IP - Friday, February 2 at 9:00 AM PT
Tech Events
The Government Executive Media Group and Veracode - "Securing the Future: Exploring Modern Application Development" - Wednesday, January 31 at 1:00 PM ET
The German Marshall Fund of the United States - "Regulating AI in The EU's Illiberal Democracies: Lessons from Hungary and Poland" - Tuesday, January 30 at 9:00 AM ET
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies - “The Quantum Advantage: Why it Matters and Essential Next Steps" - Tuesday, January 30 at 10:30 AM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
Big Game on the Big Screen… On January 30, 2000, Super Bowl XXXIV, the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans, 23-16 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. This was the first Super Bowl to be broadcast in High Definition.
