Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released a statement following President Biden’s unveiling of an Executive Order on artificial intelligence: 

“To win the future and beat China, it’s vital that America leads in developing and deploying artificial intelligence with our values built in. That’s why Energy and Commerce has been at the forefront of ensuring American AI leadership, including enacting strategies through the bipartisan American COMPETE Act of 2020. It directed the Department of Commerce to evaluate U.S. competitiveness in this emerging technology. 

“As companies begin to incorporate AI, we need to protect and secure the personal information of every American, especially our children, while preserving innovation in the process. I agree with President Biden that the best way to do this is by enacting a comprehensive data privacy and security law, which should be the first step towards cementing America’s leadership in AI. 

“We’re at a pivotal moment with AI, and unilateral, one-size-fits-all regulations will not alleviate every concern and may ultimately hamper innovation. To address the challenges of AI and take advantage of the benefits, the administration needs to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to strike the right balance between encouraging entrepreneurship and ensuring robust protections for people’s data.” 

ICYMI: Earlier this month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee kicked off a series of hearings to explore the role of artificial intelligence across every sector of the economy, including healthcare, telecommunications, emerging technologies, and energy. CLICK HERE to catch up on our first hearing titled “Safeguarding Data and Innovation: Building the Foundation for the Use of Artificial Intelligence.” 

NOTE: The American Competitiveness of a More Productive Emerging Tech Economy Act, or the American COMPETE Act, passed the House in 2020 and was included as part of H.R. 133, the Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law No. 116-260).