Artificial Intelligence Wisdom for Innovative Small Enterprises Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 5784, the AI-WISE Act.

Four years ago, AI burst into mainstream focus with the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT. When I first tried this tool, I was shocked. I knew then and there that AI had the potential to revolutionize the way American firms operate and do business.

AI, like all emerging technology, comes with risks. AI outputs are prone to bias, discrimination, misinformation, and omissions. Safety and cybersecurity vulnerabilities can render AI deployers open to adversarial attacks. We don't even fully know this risk because we cannot predict AI's trajectory, so new risk could come up as it evolves and adds capabilities.

We have all seen reports of GenAI gone wrong, with episodes ranging from customer service chatbots at car dealerships offering to sell pickup trucks for $1 to general purpose chatbots advising small businesses to break the law.

In other words, a small business using a flawed AI model risks steep reputational and legal harm. Many of these incidents are attributable simply to AI's current technological immaturity and the growing pains that come with its ongoing evolution. This is why AI literacy is crucial for small businesses to keep up with their larger competitors considering and adopting AI.

The AI-WISE Act will direct SBA to create online AI literacy resources for entrepreneurs, so they have the tools to make sound choices on AI adoption and use. It will also direct the SBA to keep their resources updated on innovations in AI technology through an expert working group. Finally, the bill will allow the SBA resource partners to develop specialized and localized assistance to best educate their communities.

I thank my colleagues, Ms. Scholten and Mr. Downing, for collaborating over the last 2 years to bring this bill to the floor. Furthermore, let me convey my gratitude to Chairman Williams; his staff director, Lauren Holmes; and all the floor staff for seeing this bill through today. It is greatly appreciated.

Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I commend Ms. Scholten and Mr. Downing for their dedication to our Nation's innovative small enterprises, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5784.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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