Week of October 23, 2023
It has been 20 days without a House Speaker. After three failed votes, Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) bowed out of the race, and a new slate of nine candidates emerged. Whether any of them will be able to garner the necessary 217 votes remains to be seen. Right now there does not seem to be any obvious paths forward. Not to mention government funding runs out in just a few short weeks. Despite the legislative blockage in the House, Committees in both chambers are holding several hearings this week on AI deepfakes, robocalls, fintech innovation, and federal cybersecurity efforts. We will also be keeping a close watch on what's to come from Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s next AI Insight Forum on Wednesday.
What We’re Watching:
What’s To Come From the Second AI Forum: Senate Majority Leader Schumer will hold the second AI Insight Forum on Tuesday with a focus on innovation. In his floor speech last week, Schumer said that the forum will focus on both transformational innovation designed to unlock the benefits of AI, as well as sustainable innovation, which will emphasize the guardrails needed to mitigate the risks of AI. Like the last forum, Tuesday’s meeting will feature several industry leaders creating innovative AI systems, and Schumer encouraged all of his colleagues to attend.
Schumer and his bipartisan working group are expected to hold several more hearings on various topics like copyright, workforce, transparency, and national security concerns early into the new year.
The last forum received high attendance, with more than 65 Senators attending.
The White House is also expected to release its highly-anticipated AI executive order at the end of the month, which will likely build off industry’s voluntary commitments on AI development and deployment.
House Oversight Tackles Deepfakes: The House Oversight Cybersecurity Subcommittee is set to tackle on Tuesday one of the most controversial topics of AI developed deepfakes. The topic has come as a primary concern for several lawmakers in recent AI hearings, especially as they are used in campaigns as well as consumer scams, including falsified image, video, and speech. Congress is looking at several legislative proposals to combat the nefarious use of deepfakes, especially as it relates to campaign ads for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
House Homeland Zooms in on Federal Cyber Initiatives: The House Homeland Security Cybersecurity Subcommittee will be taking a look at several different federal cybersecurity initiatives this Wednesday, particularly as they relate to CISA’s work as well as the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD). Members will likely bring up concerns of how CISA is working to combat new cyberthreat vectors from foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as recent hacks to several federal agency emails servers. Leadership at ONCD will also likely be a topic of discussion, as the Director position has been vacant since February. President Biden nominated former NSA and CIA official Harry Cooker for the role in July, and he is awaiting a confirmation hearing in Senate HSGAC.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
House Oversight Subcommittee hearing on deepfake technology - Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing on robocalls - Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00 AM ET
House Financial Services Digital Assets Subcommittee hearing on "Modernizing Financial Services Through Innovation and Competition" - Wednesday, October 25 at 10:00 AM ET
House Homeland Subcommittee hearing on federal cyber efforts - Wednesday, October 25 at 2:00 PM ET
Tech Events
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - "CISA's (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) Evolving.gov Mission" - Monday, October 23 at 10:00 AM ET
Politico - CHIPS Update: Fabs, Feds, and the Future of the Industry - Tuesday, October 24 at 8:30 AM ET
The Brookings Institution, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the National Network for Critical Technology Assessment - "Securing Our Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment" - Tuesday, October 24 at 8:00 AM ET
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research - "Cheap Fakes and Dirty Politics: Examining Manipulated Media and Platform Accountability" - Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00 AM ET
The National Endowment for Democracy - "Setting Democratic Ground Rules for Artificial Intelligence" - Tuesday, October 24 at 10:00 AM ET
NIST Meeting on National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan - Wednesday, October 25 at 10:00 AM ET
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - "Analyzing the Role of Blockchain Technology in Strengthening Democratic Institutions" - Wednesday, October 25 at 2:00 PM ET
Washington Post Live - "Futurist Summit - "The Rise of AI" - Thursday, October 26 at 9:00 AM
What’s Interesting This Week:
So Long Pony Express…. On October 26, 1861, only two days after the Transcontinental Telegraph line opened, the Pony Express ceased operation. Prior to the opening of the cross-country telegraph line, the Pony Express was the fastest way to send communication between St. Joseph, Missouri and San Francisco, California.
