Dear Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (“Chamber”) has long advocated for federal investments in research and development. The historic combination of federal and private sector research and development spending has allowed Americans to reap the benefits of the 21st-century digital economy and for the United States to remain the global leader in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (“AI”). Accordingly, we request that the Science, Space, and Technology Committee favorably report the following bills:
H.R. 5077, the “Create AI Act”
Last year, the Chamber outlined our AI priorities, calling for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (“NAIRR”) to be authorized and funded.[1] H.R. 5077, accomplished this goal by codifying NAIRR. NAIRR is essential in creating a research environment that allows for the democratization of Artificial Intelligence and will allow the United States to continue to lead in scientific discovery.
H.R. 9197, the “Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act”
H.R. 9197, directs NIST to develop resources to assist the small businesses utilization of AI. The Chamber’s 2023 report, Empowering Small Business: The Impact of Technology on U.S. Small Business, highlights that “one in four small businesses have adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI), leading to improved performance in marketing and communications[2].” However, the Chamber believes more can be done to facilitate further adoption and trust in the technology, especially in helping to provide information on use cases, best practices and standards.
It is anticipated that Artificial Intelligence is one of the United States' leading drivers of economic growth. It is estimated that AI has the potential to “drive a 7% (or almost $7 trillion) increase in global GDP and lift productivity growth by 1.5 percentage points over a 10-year period[3]”. We believe the Committee's diligence in establishing policies to reduce barriers create an atmosphere for critical investments and assist businesses in the adoption of these essential tools needed for growth and competition.
We look forward to working with the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to develop solutions to help drive technology growth through continued critical federal investments.
[1]https://www.uschamber.com/technology/u-s-chamber-letter-on-artificial-intelligence-priorities-2
[2]https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/smallbusinesstech
[3]https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent.html
