WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 11, 2019) - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Senate Intelligence committees, issued the following statement on the executive order to be signed today launching the American Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative: 

“I welcome the administration’s announcement to invest more in the research and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and to build a workforce that is prepared to take on the enormous changes that will come as a result of this technology. AI is transformative and will have implications spanning a number of fields including transportation, health care, agriculture, manufacturing, and national security - among many others. 

“As an engineer, I appreciate the value of emerging technologies, but I am also mindful of the challenges they present. As lawmakers, we have the critical responsibility of ensuring a careful balance between mitigating the risks of new technologies like AI and fostering its tremendous economic and national security benefits. 

“That is why I am proud to announce the formation of the bipartisan AI Caucus in the Senate with Senator Rob Portman. Together, we will work with our colleagues to develop smart policy in a responsible way to ensure the United States remains at the forefront of innovation while maintaining important ethical, safety, and privacy standards. I look forward to working with my colleagues to strike the right balance in developing the technology so that academia, private industry, federal agencies, and our national labs can harness the enormous potential of AI to the benefit of society and the American people.”