Congress Should Focus on Tech Regulation, Said Former Tech Industry Lobbyist
Congress should shift focus from speech debates to regulation on emerging technologies, says expert.
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2023 – Congress should focus on technology regulation, particularly for emerging technology, rather than speech debates, said Adam Conner, vice president of technology policy at American Progress at Broadband Breakfast’s Big Tech and Speech Summit Thursday.
Conner challenged the view of many in industry who assume that any change to current laws, including section 230, would only make the internet worse.
Conner, who aims to build a progressive technology policy platform and agenda, spent the past 15 years working as a Washington employee for several Silicon Valley companies, including Slack Technologies and Brigade. In 2007, Conner founded Facebook’s Washington office.
Instead, Conner argues that this mindset traps industry leaders in the assumption that the internet is currently the best it could ever be. This is a fallacy, he claims. To avoid this mindset, Conner suggests that the industry focus on regulation for new and emerging technology like artificial intelligence.
Recent AI innovations, like ChatGPT, create the most human readable AI experience ever made through text, images, and videos, Conner said. The penetration of AI will completely change the discussion about protecting free speech, he said, urging Congress to draft laws now to ensure its safe use in the United States.
Congress should start its AI regulation with privacy, anti-trust, and child safety laws, he said. Doing so will prove to American citizens that the internet can, in fact, be better than it is now and will promote future policy amendments, he said.
Broadband Breakfast
