SIIA Applauds Senate Commerce Committee for Critical Votes on AI Legislation

The following statement can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy & Government Affairs, Software & Information Industry Association.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) applauds the Senate Commerce Committee's dedication to keeping the United States at the forefront of responsible AI innovation, reflected in the Committee advancing critical AI legislation earlier today. These bills will support the needs of U.S. businesses and innovators; help to improve public trust in AI through safety, security, and standards; and further U.S. leadership in shaping global AI policy.

Specifically, SIIA endorses the following bills reported favorably by the Committee:

• 4178, the Future of AI Innovation Act, will formally establish the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute - a necessary step towards maintaining U.S. leadership in developing a framework around AI safety and security. (More here.)
• 2714, the CREATE AI Act, will authorize the NAIRR to supercharge U.S. innovation and AI competition by making data and compute resources available for cutting-edge applications. (More here.)
• 4394, the National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Act, will incentivize public-private partnerships to empower students to benefit from cutting edge AI technologies. (More here.)
• 4769, the Validation and Evaluation for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Act, will enhance development of standards for responsible AI. (More here.)
• 3162, the TEST AI Act, will authorize the Department of Energy and NIST to create testbeds to further development and testing for trustworthy AI systems.
• 3849, the Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act, will provide support to strengthen engagement of U.S. companies in development of international technical standards.
• 4596, the Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act, will promote public engagement and education around AI. (More here.)

As an organization with a broad coalition of industry voices, SIIA is committed to collaborating with lawmakers, industry stakeholders, and the public to ensure that AI legislation reflects the best interests of the U.S. innovation ecosystem across all sectors.

We encourage the Senate to take up these bills as soon as possible. We look forward to continuing our engagement with Congress as these bills progress and remain dedicated to advocating for AI policies that promote innovation, strengthen U.S. leadership, enhance government adoption, and foster meaningful public-private collaboration.