U.S. senators on June 8 introduced two new bipartisan bills with implications for AI, one focused on artificial intelligence, the other more generally on emerging technologies. The first is an accountability act that would require the U.S. and its agencies inform people when AI is used in government interactions. The second bill, the Global Technology Leadership Act, seeks to establish an Office of Global Competition Analysis (OGCA) that evaluates “competitiveness in technology and innovation sectors critical to national security and economic prosperity relative to other countries,” with emphasis on “strategic competitors.”

“We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge in strategic technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to competitors like China,” said Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), who co-sponsored the Technology Leadership bill with Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia).

While the 8-page bill doesn’t list specific technologies on which to focus, 5G has been cited in the coverage. The Technology Act calls for the OGCA to create congressional reports no less than once a year, and to forge an alliance with a federal research center or university equivalent.

The bill recognizes technological leadership as “critical to national security and economic prosperity.” It “comes just days after a U.S. Treasury Department official said the country was drafting new regulations that would prohibit investments and transfer of technology to Chinese firms working on developing advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing,” according to Computerworld.

The Ensuring Government AI Accountability Act of 2023 was introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-Michigan), Mike Braun (R-Indiana) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma). In addition to AI disclosure, “the bill also requires agencies to create a way for people to appeal any decisions made by AI,” Reuters writes.

“The federal government needs to be proactive and transparent with AI utilization and ensure that decisions aren’t being made without humans in the driver’s seat,” Braun said in a statement.

Introduction of the two bills comes days after “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he had scheduled three briefings for senators on artificial intelligence, including the first classified briefing on the topic so lawmakers can be educated on the issue,” Reuters notes.