By James Obsorne
Two of the state’s GOP congressmen are responding to growing concern among Texans around the societal repercussions of artificial intelligence technology.
U.S. Reps. Brian Babin, chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, and Nathaniel Moran have filed legislation that would give the federal government a larger role in the development of new AI technologies.
Moran’s bill would require technology firms to report if their AI systems attempt to evade controls put in place by developers or show the ability to “enable offensive cyberattacks against critical infrastructure,” along with other potential threats to national security and human safety. Right now, reporting is voluntary.
“AI is a powerful engine of innovation, and I want to see it flourish, but not without accountability and not without human oversight,” Moran, who represents East Texas, said in a statement. “This legislation ensures that when something goes wrong with a high-capability AI system, the U.S. Government has the information needed to act quickly.”
At a hearing last week on a slate of new artificial intelligence bills, Babin called for increased funding for the U.S. Center for AI Security and Innovation, the federal government’s primary mechanism for testing AI systems and recommending standards.
While praising the economic gains, he also cautioned of the need to “address important challenges in the AI space while preserving America’s competitive advantage.”
The legislation comes amid the rapid development of advanced AI systems like Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, the latest version of which the company has only released to government agencies and some large corporations out of concern it could be used to hack existing cyber security systems. The powerful tool has increased fears around the AI age, as residents and politicians alike grapple with not only the repercussions of the technology for jobs and national security, but also with the rapid construction of data centers that power the technology.
A recent poll by the University of Texas found 49% of Texans believe AI will have a negative effect on the state’s economy, with just 29% predicting a positive impact.
The Republican-controlled state Legislature has already passed legislation that prohibits the development of AI models that encourage violence or violate Texans’ constitutional rights. Texas lawmakers have also criminalized the possession of AI-generated child pornography.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who has cheered on AI firms’ investments in Texas, proposed earlier this month to rescind some tax breaks for data centers and called on regulators to ensure the centers cannot pass on their electricity and water infrastructure costs to consumers.
“The rapid scale of data center development requires oversight to ensure everyday Texans are not burdened with the costs of infrastructure driven by data center expansion,” he said in a statement.
In Congress, there is increasing bipartisan effort to give the federal government greater authority to regulate AI technology as experts are still grappling to understand the long-lasting consequences of the emerging sector.
Earlier this month, U.S. Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Lori Trahan, D-Mass, released a 269-page draft bill creating a national framework for the development of AI technology.
Looming large over their discussions is President Donald Trump, who last year issued an executive order calling for a “minimally burdensome national standard” that overrode state AI laws, as well as creating a voluntary system for federal government officials to review the systems before they are released.
In the meantime, he said, “it is imperative that my Administration takes action to check the most onerous and excessive laws emerging from the States that threaten to stymie innovation.” So far there is no evidence the White House has taken action against Texas’ AI laws.
Since Trump’s order, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Washington have increasingly come to advocate for greater federal oversight of AI systems, said Caleb Knapp, senior policy manager at the non-profit The Alliance for Secure AI.
“The cliche I tell everyone is the conversations we’ve had nine months ago are vastly different than the ones were having now,” he said. “There’s been huge strides in education within the last year.”