OpenAI Calls for Federal Government to Preempt State AI Laws

OpenAI has submitted several policy proposals to the White House, saying they will preserve American competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI).

The company’s comments were submitted in response to the White House’s request for information as it develops its AI Action Plan, OpenAI said in a Thursday (March 13) blog post.

“OpenAI’s freedom-focused policy proposals, taken together, can strengthen America’s lead on AI and in doing so, unlock economic growth, lock in American competitiveness and protect our national security,” OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Christopher Lehane wrote in the comments submitted to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

One proposal calls for the federal government to preempt the states when it comes to AI-related laws, providing the industry with relief from the growing number of bills being considered by states. In exchange, AI companies that opt-in to this offer would give the federal government access to their AI models to ensure safety and test capabilities.

Another proposal suggests that the federal government develop an export control strategy that not only restricts the flow of AI technologies to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) but also makes it enhances the export of the technologies to democratic countries.

A third proposal from OpenAI calls for greater application of the fair use doctrine to AI so that AI companies can use more information to train artificial intelligence models while still preserving the commercial value of copyrighted works.

OpenAI also suggested that the federal government expand its efforts to support the building of AI infrastructure in the U.S. by, among other things, streamlining permitting processes, digitizing government data that is currently in analog form, and streamlining access to capital and supply chains.

In a fifth proposal, the company suggested that the federal government “lead by example” by adopting artificial intelligence in its departments and agencies.

“We look forward to discussing the above proposals with the Office of Science and Technology Policy as we continue to build on our relationship with the US government and work toward AI that benefits everyone,” Lehane wrote.

When asking the public to weigh in on policies for the AI Action Plan, the Office of Science and Technology Policy said it seeks comments on policies to prioritize to “enhance America’s AI dominance and ensure that unnecessarily burdensome requirements do not hamper private sector innovation.”

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