New ad campaign highlights AI risks to kids, civil rights
On Monday, Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) announced a new ad campaign in Massachusetts urging Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) to oppose a ban on state AI legislation. Rep. Trahan, who has publicly announced work on a bill that would preempt a broad range of state AI laws, has already received pushback for the effort from state lawmakers, civil society groups, and thousands of Massachusetts voters. The new ads direct constituents in Massachusetts’ Third District to call Rep. Trahan in opposition to the effort and sign the petition opposing a ban on state laws at NoBigTechImmunity.com.
Watch the latest ads in MA-03: Amazing Grace and Protect Our Rights.
“Big Tech and the Trump Administration would love to see a Democrat push forward their plan to freeze state AI laws,” said ARI President Brad Carson. “But children’s advocacy groups, artists and creators, and Massachusetts voters are all opposed to this effort. This campaign is about mobilizing a broad coalition of constituents in support of guardrails on AI and letting Rep. Trahan know that we should not freeze state laws. If the Congresswoman wants to pass AI safeguards at the federal level, there are many paths for doing so without sweeping away kids’ safety, civil rights, and privacy protections at the state level.”
In May, ARI and a coalition including Public Citizen, Demand Progress, Encode, Design It for Us, and local Massachusetts chapters of Indivisible, launched a petition in Massachusetts urging Rep. Trahan to oppose the preemption of state AI laws. Already, the petition has gathered over 4,000 signatures. In a letter to Rep. Trahan last week, a coalition of over forty civil society groups publicly urged the Congresswoman not to preempt state laws, following similar calls from Massachusetts state lawmakers.
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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.