Chester County state Rep. Melissa Shusterman is bringing two bills targeting the most advanced artificial intelligence systems to a public hearing Monday, Oct. 19, in Harrisburg.
The House Communications & Technology Committee will hear testimony on House Bills 2800 and 2829 at 10 a.m. in Room 205 of the Ryan Office Building at the Capitol Complex, according to a Pennsylvania House press release. AI researchers and safety experts are expected to testify on risks posed by frontier AI models and the safeguards the bills propose.
Shusterman, a Democrat representing Chester County, introduced the legislation with state Reps. Manny Guzman, D-Berks, and Greg Scott, D-Montgomery. All three plan to attend.
The bills are separate from Shusterman's AI chatbot safeguards measure, House Bill 2006, which passed the full House 133-70 and moved to the Senate.
Frontier AI models are the most powerful AI systems available. The proposed legislation would require developers to create and follow safety frameworks, establish a process for reporting critical safety incidents, protect whistleblowers who disclose catastrophic risks and require independent third-party audits, according to a Sept. 14 press release from Shusterman and Scott.
The lawmakers said the bills draw from measures already enacted with bipartisan support in California, Illinois and New York. They cited the absence of federal AI safety standards as a reason for states to act.
Shusterman called government oversight of frontier AI her "bare minimum expectation" in the Oct. 13 announcement. "Every other industry has governmental safeguards for good reasons – AI requires the same level, or more," she said.
Scott said AI's potential to reshape industry and society demands a regulatory framework. Guzman called for developers to identify and address risks before deploying advanced systems.
The sponsors cited a national Quinnipiac poll finding that 86% of respondents support independent safety standards for AI companies. The same poll found 73% expressed concern about AI's potential threat to human survival.
The Oct. 19 proceeding is a public hearing, not a vote on either bill. The committee will evaluate testimony before deciding on further legislative action, MyChesCo reported.
