Schumer calls on tech celebs for congressional AI bootcamp

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he wants to ensure members of Congress get up to speed on the (still evolving) particulars of artificial intelligence. His planned nine-part AI bootcamp, aimed at helping his colleagues bulk up on their tech know-how, is set to kick off this month.

The first of Schumer’s “AI Insight Forums,” slated for next week, will feature a star-studded guest list that includes Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk, Axios reported.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and former CEO Eric Schmidt are expected to be there, plus Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Schumer first announced plans for the AI forums in June, and provided additional detail about what they would include at an event in IBM’s Manhattan office in July.

“Humility is our watchword,” Schumer told reporters. “I look forward to hearing your suggestions and suggestions of the broader community as to how we can create the best safe innovation anywhere and put it into actuality.”

The planned forums, including the kickoff event Sept. 13, will help Congress determine which AI regulations they should be prioritizing, Schumer said at the July event.

“We’ll see which ones lend themselves to broader consensus dealing with innovation and safety, and which are harder,” he said. “We’ll have to see.”