Week of May 15, 2023
Debt ceiling negotiations continue to be the above-the-fold storyline in DC this week, as President Biden and congressional leaders are set to meet on Tuesday, while staff level conversations remain ongoing, behind the scenes.
Greg Becker, the former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), will testify on Tuesday at the Senate Banking Committee at a hearing focused on the failures of SVB and Signature Bank.
On our radar for this week is the continued focus on AI, as Congress prepares not one, not two, but three hearings specifically on the matter. We’ll also see House E&C take on cybersecurity soundness for critical infrastructure; and not to mention last Friday’s murmurs of Financial Services Ranking Member Waters’ (D-CA) new stablecoin legislation ahead of this Thursday's hearing.
What We’re Watching:
AI Sweeps the House and Senate: Lawmakers continue to zero-in on emerging AI technology systems as they seek to craft legislation that addresses potential harms without stifling technological developments. Congress is set to hold three separate hearings this week on various topics surrounding AI, signaling bipartisan willingness from both the House and Senate to tackle various concerns around AI and privacy, intellectual property, workforce concerns, and national security implications.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet will host a hearing on Wednesday to examine the AI and copyright issues, as concerns continue to arise on copyrighted materials being used to train AI systems.
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law will hold a hearing on Tuesday on oversight of AI. Chair Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) highlighted that AI “urgently needs rules and safeguards to address its immense promise and pitfalls,” in a statement on the hearing.
At the same time as the Senate Judiciary hearing, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will host a hearing to examine AI use in government.
House Select China Committee to Hold Hearing on U.S. Competitiveness: The House Select Committee on the CCP is gearing for another prime time event this Wednesday, as Members will hear testimony from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on ways to level the playing field for U.S. competitiveness against China’s emerging tech. Other witnesses include former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, as well as Roger Robinson, former Chair of the Congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The hearing is likely to draw significant attention given high-profile witnesses, and that emerging tech competition remains the topic du jour. The hearing falls on the heels of Chair Gallagher’s recent visit to Silicon Valley, where he met with several big tech executives on ways to counter the CCP’s militaristic use of dual emerging tech while boosting American competitiveness to continue making advancements to set global precedent.
House E&C to Examine Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure: While not as headline grabbing as AI, the very real issues involving cybersecurity will get some additional attention this week. The House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee will tackle conversations on the cybersecurity soundness of critical infrastructure, with expert testimony from sector specific agencies. While not the traditional committee of jurisdiction, it will be interesting to see where Members’ interests lie most regarding cybersecurity concerns, and whether this kicks off a more sector-specific approach to cybersecurity, something cyber leaders have moved away from since the creation of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
Senate HSGAC hearing on AI in government - Tuesday, May 16 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on AI oversight - Tuesday, May 16 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Appropriations hearing on investing in U.S. competitiveness - Tuesday, May 16 at 2:00 PM ET
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on critical infrastructure cybersecurity - Tuesday, May 16 at 2:00 PM ET
House Small Business hearing on SBA 7(a) Lending Program Part 2 - Wednesday, May 17 at 10:00 AM ET
House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on AI and copyright - Wednesday, May 17 at 10:00 AM ET
House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party hearing on China economics - Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 PM ET
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Chinese economic aggression - Thursday, May 18 at 9:00 AM ET
House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on stablecoins - Thursday, May 18 at 9:00 AM ET
Tech Events
Palo Alto Networks - Cybersecurity conference - Tuesday, May 16 at 8:00 AM ET
Washington Post Live - "Role of innovation and technology in the race to net-zero" - Monday, May 16 at 9:00 AM ET
Atlantic Council and Applied Intuition - “The Intersection of Defense, National Security, and Autonomy" - Wednesday, May 17 at 9:00 AM ET
U.S. Copyright Office - AI Audiovisual works - Wednesday, May 17 at 1:00 PM ET
Government Executive Media Group - Cyber Summit 2023 - May 17-18 at 10:30 AM ET
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation - "The Great Debate Over Technology and Prosperity" - Wednesday, May 17 at 10:00 AM ET
The Brookings Institution - "AI (artificial intelligence), Emerging Technologies, and the Division of Domestic Labor" - Wednesday, May 17 at 2:00 PM ET
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - "Evolving Cyber Operations and Capabilities" - Thursday, May 18 10:00 AM ET
Washington Post Live - Event on the role of workforce development and technology - Thursday, May 18 at 11:00 AM ET
Energy Department - National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee on trends and developments in quantum information science and technology - Friday, May 19 at 1:00 PM ET
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Meeting - May 18-19
Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) - Webinar - Friday, May 19 at 11:00 AM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
Born to Fly….. On May 20, 1932, five years to the day after Charles Lindbergh took off on his historic first solo flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland. While her original destination was France, weather and mechanical problems forced her to land in Ireland nearly 15 hours after she took off. She became the first woman and second person after Lindbergh to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
