萝莉网

Despite the federal government remaining closed for more than a month now, multiple new bills related to AI and students have been introduced in the past several weeks. On October 28th, the Senate HELP Committee鈥檚 Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) dropped his , which focuses on upgrading student privacy protections and parental choice. This bill follows his September introduction, along with a bipartisan bicameral group of legislators, of the , which would  encourage States to develop academic standards for elementary school and secondary school for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Also in October, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumental (D-CT) held a press conference to announce their introduction of the , which would require artificial intelligence chatbots to implement age verification measures. In addition, a package of House legislative proposals is expected as soon as the federal government reopens. 

The Cassidy and Hawley/Blumenthal bills are the most substantive bills introduced in the AI space to date, and each warrants attention.

Senator Cassidy鈥檚 legislation would make several changes to existing federal laws, including FERPA and Title II-A of ESEA. It would create a Golden Seal of Excellence in Student Data Privacy and establish a Privacy Technical Assistance Center at the U.S. Department of Education. Of concern to 萝莉网and other education and privacy groups is that the legislation includes provisions mandating that parents can review all third-party education technology contracts in districts before they鈥檙e carried out implemented and it would require requiring districts to make contracts publicly available no less than two weeks in advance of a contract's execution.

The Hawley/Blumental bill is aimed squarely at addressing recent negative stories about student interactions with AI chatbots. This bill would bar AI manufacturers from allowing minors, defined as those under the age of 18, from accessing or using AI companions. It would also require that all manufacturers of AI chatbots prevent minor access and usage by using an age verification system or using a third-party contractor for that purpose.