Letter to House E&C on AI Hearing

Dear Chair Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone:          

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center (“C_TEC”) welcomes today’s important hearing, “Leveraging Agency Expertise to Foster American AI Leadership and Innovation.” We wish to submit the final report of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s A.I. Commission on Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation for the record. C_TEC has long advocated for the government and business to work closely to advance responsible AI. Understanding the need to be forward-looking on this specific matter, we commissioned the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Commission, co-chaired by two of your former colleagues, Representative John Delaney (D-MD) and Representative Mike Ferguson (R-NJ). The Chamber’s goal in creating this commission was to develop recommendations to address the advancement and challenges of adopting AI in the United States.

The Commission’s report is the culmination of more than a year’s work, including five field hearings where the Commission heard testimony from 87 witnesses and extensive written feedback through three Requests for Information (RFIs). This work resulted in a series of findings that we hope will serve as pillars for future legislative and regulatory action and specific workforce, competitiveness, and national security recommendations. The report outlines a risk-based approach to using existing law and provides a pathway to address gaps or where new initiatives are needed.

 AI will increasingly affect our economy over the next 20 years. Generative AI alone is poised to have a 2.6 trillion to 4.4 trillion[1] impact annually on productivity, adding trillions of dollars in value to the global economy. At the same time, AI will lead to advances in productivity, health care, consumer, and government benefits. A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group (BSG) highlighted that "productivity gains of GenAI for the public sector will be valued at 1.75 trillion per year by 2033.”

While the benefits of Artificial Intelligence are substantial, a failure of the government to take meaningful actions to best position the United States as the global leader in Artificial Intelligence could potentially harm our economy and constrain the development and introduction of beneficial technologies. For this reason, the Chamber sent a letter to Congress in September outlining nine specific recommendations to ensure necessary policies are implemented for further innovation and to maintain U.S. leadership. These recommendations include:

• The creation of the office of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Emerging Technology;
• A report to Congress inventorying current laws and regulations applicable to AI;
• Authorization and funding of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource;
• Funding for research and development of complementary emerging technologies such as Quantum Computing;
• An inventory of legal authorities to combat fraud;
• Tasking the National Science Foundation to develop and routinely update K-12 Education guidelines;
• A Department of Commerce strategy on worker training and re-skilling;
• Ensuring that the U.S. remains the top destination for the World’s tech talent; and
• Fully resource technology and expertise within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Today’s hearing will allow policymakers to consider how best to ensure the United States continues to be the global leader in AI. We look forward to working with you and other leaders to develop frameworks for using responsible AI and for the United States to work with like-minded allies in crafting global standards.  We stand ready and committed to working with you and your staff to achieve these goals.

I have attached the U.S. Chamber AI Commission report[2] and letter[3] to Congress as a valuable resource for Congress as you address these matters. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Richards at mrichards@uschamber.com.  

Sincerely,

Tom Quaadman
Executive Vice President
Chamber Technology Engagement Center
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

cc: Members of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce

[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#key-insights

[2] https://www.uschamber.com/assets/documents/CTEC_AICommission2023_Exec-Summary.pdf

[3] https://www.uschamber.com/technology/u-s-chamber-letter-on-artificial-intelligence-priorities-2