Georgia Senate Study Says AI Will Impact a Wide Range of Services

Georgia lawmakers may or may not develop legislation this summer and fall to establish state standards governing the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

But one thing became clear after the state Senate Study Committee’s inaugural hearing late last month: AI will have a massive impact on many areas of government policy, from economic development to health care, education, public safety and transportation.

“This is going to impact and change things like never before,” said Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, chairman of the Senate Artificial Development Study Committee.

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One area of ​​public policy that AI is already influencing is elections. So-called “deep fakes” are already appearing in political ads that digitally alter a candidate’s physical appearance or voice to make them say or do something the person in question has not said or done.

Because deepfakes in political ads are one of the first manifestations of artificial intelligence, some state lawmakers have made the practice a primary target of the General Assembly’s first attempt to rein in the industry.

A bill introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives this year called for criminalizing the use of deepfakes in political ads. House Bill 986 overwhelmingly passed the House but died in the state Senate.

The effects that AI technology is expected to have on public policy are already starting to be seen. In the area of ​​public safety, AI is already able to answer 911 calls and dispatch emergency services, Albers said.

“No one will ever be waiting on the line and have an immediate answer,” he said.

Similarly, the huge role AI will play in transportation is being demonstrated initially by the development of autonomous vehicles, drone delivery, and technology that lets cities manage traffic flows. Ultimately, AI will guide transportation planners’ decisions about where to widen highways or build bridges.

Albers said artificial intelligence will also revolutionize education.

“We’ve been teaching the same way for 85 years,” he said. “The world has changed eight times in that time.”

In healthcare, Albers said, AI’s data consolidation capabilities could help scientists treat cancer.

While the General Assembly’s focus on AI is largely on its applications in public policy, the legislature could also actively support the private sector by introducing incentives to promote the use of the technology as a tool for economic development.

“We have a real opportunity to create a huge number of startups in this state,” said Pascal Van Hentenryck, a professor at Georgia Tech, director of Tech-AI, the university’s artificial intelligence center, and a member of the research committee.

Albers said any action by the General Assembly on regulating artificial intelligence must also take into account the equality aspect.

“We don’t want to exclude people from this,” he said. “We want to bridge the digital divide.”

Albers said the exploratory committee will hold seven or eight hearings this summer and fall, including some off Capitol Hill. One of those hearings will be in Augusta, home to the Georgia Cyber ​​Innovation & Training Center.

The committee is to submit recommendations on proposed legislation by December 1. If no legislation is submitted, the committee will report to the full Senate.