Informing the role of Congress in artificial intelligence regulation

On September 22, 2023, APA Services submitted a response (PDF, 299KB)opens in new window to a white paper released by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, entitled “Exploring Congress’ Framework for the Future of AI: The Oversight and Legislative Role of Congress Over the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Health, Education, and Laboropens in new window.” The response emphasized that psychology provides important insights into the role of AI in education and health and can inform regulations to ensure it is employed effectively and ethically. The association also highlighted that shaping the future use of AI for the public good requires a robust understanding of the psychology of human-technology interaction.

APA Services recommended that AI must be carefully developed to minimize bias, address privacy concerns surrounding data collection, and increase transparency. Regulations that ensure ethical development and rigorous testing, while allowing for innovation, will increase public trust and efficacy of AI.

AI tools are already being developed and used to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and behavioral health conditions; it is vital that these tools are developed with ethical and transparent deployment in mind. “AI must undergo rigorous design and development quality control processes to mitigate the biases to which it is susceptible,” APA Services noted. “Ongoing research is needed to determine the efficacy of the varied AI-based tools that currently are and will become available.”

AI shows promise for its use in educational settings; however, the use of AI also has different ethical implications for young populations. “Young people often consume, process, and retain information much differently than adults, and tools aimed at young users must be developed and tested with these factors in mind,” the response noted.

APA Services urges digital literacy training to improve understanding of the uses and limitations of AI, as well as studying, regulating, and carefully deploying AI tools to limit bias, data privacy concerns, and negative consequences on mental and emotional development.

AI can have positive impacts on hiring processes, workplace productivity, and workforce development. However, it has also led to concerns about job satisfaction and job security, among other potential negative impacts related to bias and data privacy as discussed above. The use of AI in the workplace should consider ethics and diversity, research, risks, privacy, intellectual property rights, transparency, and digital literacy to ensure its negative effects are minimized.

APA Services has developed a set of policy considerations to inform AI development, including the importance of research and ethical considerations; learn more by visiting the AI fact sheet webpage (PDF, 142KB)opens in new window.

For more information, contact Corbin Evans and Raegina Likewise.