Watch: D.C. Homeland Security committee Q&A with Sen. Hassan on role of AI in government

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Hassan questioned leaders about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday.

Senator Hassan opened by asking Dr. Lynne E. Parker about the prolonged vacancy of the Director position at the National AI Initiative Office. Dr. Parker was the first director of the office. She left in August 2022 and the position has not been filled. In response to Senator Hassan’s questioning, Dr. Parker noted that having a director in place is imperative to address challenges posed by AI.

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Parker said it is imperative for the U.S. to lead the way in AI space and to have someone in that position to respond to concerns while creating new initiatives. “That leadership vacuum has contributed to a number of challenges we’ve had across the board in terms of being able to implement good policies that are in place.”

Senator Hassan then raised concerns to Mr. Taka Ariga, the Chief Data Scientist at the Government Accountability Office, about the safety risks posed by AI systems.

Senator Hassan then returned to Dr. Parker and posed a question about the importance of developing a national strategy on safeguards for AI in order to prevent it from being used in a harmful manner against the public. “We need an approach to be able to govern that responsible use of AI,” said Dr. Parker.

Senator Hassan and Parker also discussed threats posed by “deepfakes,” or artificially-generated images or videos. She referenced an AI-generated deepfake that circulated last year depicting Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky seemingly telling Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender to Russia.

“I’m concerned that in the hands of our adversaries deepfakes pose a really significant threat,” Hassan said.

Parker responded with thoughts on potential technology-based solutions such as using watermarks on videos to identify deepfakes by determining their provenance.

Earlier this month, Senator Hassan led her colleagues in sounding the alarm on the potential use of AI, such as ChatGPT, to generate persuasive, tailored scams that are intended to defraud Americans, including by getting access to their personal financial information.

To watch Senator Hassan’s questioning, click here or watch the YouTube link at the top of this post.