WA Legislators Will Seek Creation of Artificial Intelligence Task Force

Two WA state legislators, Senate Democrat Joe Nguyen, and Republican House Rep Travis Couture, are going to introduce legislation to create an artificial intelligence task force.

   WA State AG Bob Ferguson asked legislators to create the bill

According to information from the WA State AG's office:

  "The task force will convene industry representatives, civil liberty groups, subject matter experts and other stakeholders to discuss AI benefits and risks and make recommendations to the Legislature."

To do so, the Senate and House would have to pass SB (Senate Bill) 5838 and HB (House Bill) 1934. It would create a 42-person task force made up of "representatives from the Legislature, state agencies, tribes, technology experts, civil liberty advocates, consumer advocates, businesses, and other stakeholders." It would meet twice a year, and present its findings to the legislature by December 1st, 2025.

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Their goals would include creating a set of guiding principles for the use of AI, identify high-risk areas where AI could create issues, recommendations for how the state could educate the public on the use of AI, and reviews of public policy regarding use of AI.

According to the AG's office, "79% of respondents in North America reported at least some exposure to generative AI. Forty-one percent report using it regularly, and 22% say they are using it regularly at work."

25 other states have introduced legislation related to the use of AI, and four, including Colorado, Illinois, Vermont, and Virginia, have created similar task forces to study the situation.