Georgia lawmakers focusing on artificial intelligence

“Transparency is everything,” Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, chief sponsor of House Bill 147, told members of the Senate Science and Technology Committee. “If we can’t operate a transparent government, that’s where the breakdown of democracy starts.”

Georgia lawmakers have been working for the last couple of years on how to regulate AI. Crafting plans to accomplish that goal was at the heart of the report a Senate study committee released ahead of this year’s session.

“We need to do this,” said Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, who chaired the study committee. “If we’re going to stay the No.-place to do business, we have to be the No.-1 place for artificial intelligence.”

Besides developing plans for regulating AI, the legislature also is looking to criminalize the use of AI to generate obscene material depicting children. Two bills with that goal in mind — House Bill 171 and Senate Bill 9 — have passed their respective legislative chambers and await action on the other side of the Capitol.

Another measure that touches on artificial intelligence is the Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act, which the Senate passed early this month with just two “no” votes.

“Our personal information is everywhere,” said Albers, chief sponsor of Senate Bill 111. “In fact, it gets a little scary. ... We want to make sure data that’s personal is protected as much as possible.”

Albers’ bill is aimed at businesses that “target market” by selling customers’ personal data. The legislation would prohibit selling such personal information without the customer’s permission, limit the collection of personal information to what is necessary, and give customers the ability to delete their personal information.

The measure also gives Georgia’s attorney general the ability to enforce the law against violators.

While a representative of the Atlanta-based Technology Association of Georgia supported the bill during a House committee hearing last Wednesday, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia said forcing consumers to appeal to the attorney general’s office for enforcement would be cumbersome.

“Tech companies and other companies need to do something to protect (consumers’) rights and data,” said Christopher Bruce, the organization’s policy and advocacy director. “(But) this bill is flawed.”

House Bill 147, meanwhile, has drawn concern from representatives of local governments that would have to put together plans for how they use AI.

“For small counties that don’t use AI or have any plans to, is it practical for them to put together a report?” asked Todd Edwards, director of governmental affairs for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. “That might not be the best use of their time and capital.”

To address that issue, changes to Thomas’ bill made by the Senate Science and Technology Committee would give local governments until the end of 2027 to set out in writing what AI systems they’re using. The GTA would have to publish online how state agencies are using AI by the end of this year.

“This is a transformational enough technology that the public needs to know what’s going on,” said Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, the Senate committee’s chairman.

Lawmakers working to establish policies for managing the use of AI acknowledge that the technology is constantly changing. Even though Albers’ Senate study committee completed its work last year, he has introduced a resolution calling for a new study committee to examine what needs to be done to keep pace with those changes.

The panel would have until Dec. 1 to issue findings and recommendations.