Luján and Gallego Push for Bipartisan AI Committee Amid Rapid Policy Shifts

Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) has called for the creation of a bipartisan Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The committee would consolidate work on AI policy, which currently falls under multiple Senate committees.

Luján's proposal is not new; Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) made a similar request two weeks earlier on September 9. Both senators aim to address the opportunities and risks of AI by examining both areas, coordinating oversight across jurisdictions, and recommending legislative actions.

A select committee would also help Congress keep pace with rapidly evolving AI policy worldwide. The European Union has already implemented its AI Act, creating a comprehensive framework for the technology, while China has put in place its own set of governance rules.

Without federal action, states are increasingly likely to create their own AI regulations, posing compliance challenges for companies operating across state lines. A bipartisan coalition of 26 state attorneys general has also called for national AI safety regulations around the same time as Luján's letter.