Legislation provides federal regulatory waiver to experiment with AI
On Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz publicly announced the SANDBOX Act, a bill that would create a federal “sandbox,” waiving federal regulations to enable testing and experimentation with new AI products. The sandbox for testing and development would be established and operated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In effect, OSTP would provide companies with two-year waivers from any “enforcement, licensing or authorization” requirements from the federal government, after which firms could request eight-year waiver renewals.
“A well-defined sandbox for innovators is an important component of an overall regulatory framework for AI policy,” said ARI President Brad Carson. “We have to be thoughtful about how to support this moment of experimentation and where the limits of the sandbox extend to – no one wants to enable the same kind of reckless behavior we’ve seen out of social media companies over the past decade. We appreciate Sen. Cruz’s serious proposal and look forward to engaging with lawmakers to refine this legislation.”
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Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest, focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more at ARI.us.