\u201cWe need to make sure these datacenters don\u2019t turn into pollution bombs<\/a>,\u201d Markey said.<\/p>\n On Friday, Markey unveiled this package of bills as part of a new \u201cAI accountability agenda\u201d focused on \u201ctaking power back from big tech\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery American is entitled to these safeguards \u2026 it shouldn\u2019t be limited just by geographic boundaries of the individual states,\u201d said Markey, who is running for his third full term in the Senate.<\/p>\n He stressed that a piecemeal approach to AI \u201cwould leave too many people exposed\u201d and that the government has to act on regulation quickly, though there has been little federal movement on the subject since ChatGPT\u2019s release in 2022.<\/p>\n Markey\u2019s preliminary version of the bill, shared with the Guardian, would require companies that own or propose datacenters to obtain certification from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) affirming that the facilities \u201cwill not harm the public interest\u201d even before construction begins.<\/p>\n The proposal states that the commission would evaluate proposed data centers\u2019 potential effects on air and water quality, noise levels, energy costs and electricity system reliability, the local ecosystem and wildlife, the local economy and jobs. The agency should consult with federal, state and local agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and zoning boards, the discussion draft states.<\/p>\n The broad agenda highlights specific people hit hardest by the issues his bills seek to address. That includes grieving parents who say their 14-year-old son died by suicide<\/a> after being sexually groomed by a chatbot, a resident of a rural Georgia town<\/a> who can\u2019t drink her tap water at home after datacenter construction began nearby, a woman who sued<\/a> over an allegedly discriminatory algorithm that denied her housing and a veteran nurse<\/a> who felt morally distressed about following an AI model\u2019s instincts over her own.<\/p>\n Markey\u2019s other AI legislation includes bills that would ban employers from primarily relying on automated systems for hiring, firing and promotion decisions; require stronger safeguards for AI chatbot companies to prevent kids from becoming emotionally dependent on them; and mandate that AI developers conduct detailed, independent audits of potential bias and discrimination before releasing algorithms that make important decisions.<\/p>\n Other proposals would institute every federal agency using, funding or overseeing AI to have an office of civil rights focused on combatting bias and discrimination; require health care facilities to create human override options for AI decisions; protect workers who disagree with AI recommendations; and ensure companies report the energy and environmental effects of data centers in a standardized way.<\/p>\n
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