Heinrich hosts AI 'fireside' chat with small business owners

United States Sen. Martin Heinrich engaged in a dynamic AI “fireside” chat with a group of small-business owners at the WESST Enterprise Center. The event followed an AI literacy session led by AI & You founder and CEO Susan Gonzales, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of regulating artificial intelligence.

Heinrich and Gonzales discussed the critical need for legislation to protect small businesses and artists from the risks posed by AI technologies, such as deep fakes and non-consensual imagery. They also addressed the growing privacy concerns in AI development and underscored the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives and communities to ensure the ethical use of data. The conversation emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive approach to AI regulation that reflects societal values and promotes responsible development.

“The thing I worry about most with AI is these are going to be lots of very good tools. But when you have good tools, they can be used wrong by bad people or people with bad intentions,” Heinrich said. “When we set up the rules of the road for the internet, I was not in Congress at the time, but some of my colleagues were there and I've had these conversations; they just decided not to put guardrails in place at the beginning. And once you have a huge industry, it's so hard to put those in place. So for me, I think the biggest risk is that we don't add or adequately regulate the things that are obvious problematic uses or even criminal uses of AI, but we're going to have great tools that I think 99% of the public is going to use for their small business or for some application that's completely legitimate. But you still have to have the stuff that if you're a musician, you own your voice, you own your life, if somebody else tried to make a deep fake of you, that's illegal and they should negotiate with you and get you some financial compensation for using your likeness in a way that you approved. So I just think about getting those guardrails in place now, especially with regard to kids and kids data, because, you know, we had this experiment with social media, and I think there was not clearly not enough regulation there with respect to young people. We need to learn that lesson with respect to AI.”

AI & You, a nonprofit founded in 2019, works to educate marginalized communities about AI's opportunities and challenges. The organization prepares small business owners, educators, workers and students for the transformative changes AI brings.

“I think we have real opportunities with regard to education. You could see not very far in the future, a tailored tutor who has actually been responsive to the individual needs of a given student with a teacher filling the gap when when you get to certain points, but where you can move faster through curriculum because you have a very intelligent chatbot that is actually focused on the literal outcomes, the right answers and whatever my challenges as a student might be,” Heinrich said. “So that's a place where we could really see a very inexpensive tool for tutoring that right now a lot of students have zero access to, they get a little time with their teacher, but they have no feedback mechanism for much of their time.”

Heinrich is at the forefront of legislative efforts on AI policy, co-founding the Senate Bipartisan AI Caucus with former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in 2019. The caucus aims to maintain the United States' leadership in AI innovation while upholding ethical, safety and privacy standards. Heinrich has also been involved in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s bipartisan AI working group, helping to shape policies that address AI's risks and harness its opportunities.

In 2024, Heinrich and the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group, which includes Schumer (D-N.Y.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), released a comprehensive roadmap for AI legislation. This roadmap highlights the policy topics that require urgent bipartisan consideration by Congress, building on previous AI initiatives at the federal level.

Heinrich's efforts have led to advancements in AI policy. The FY21 National Defense Authorization Act included a modified version of his Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act, establishing a national strategy to bolster U.S. leadership in AI research and development. Heinrich also helped pass the Artificial Intelligence for the Armed Forces Act, enhancing the Department of Defense’s AI capabilities and recruitment of AI professionals.

Heinrich also established the National AI Research Resource Task Force (NAIRR) to develop a roadmap for a national AI research infrastructure. The NAIRR Task Force's final report, released last January, outlines the development of a national research cloud and associated resources essential for AI research and development. Heinrich introduced the CREATE AI Act last July, implementing many recommendations from the NAIRR Task Force to provide AI researchers and students greater access to necessary resources, data and tools for developing safe and trustworthy AI.

Heinrich and Gonzales also addressed privacy concerns in AI development and emphasized the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives and communities to ensure ethical use of data. They agreed about the need for a comprehensive approach to AI regulation that reflects societal values and promotes responsible development.

AI & You continues to champion AI literacy through free online content in English and Spanish and a series of “AI in the Community” events launched with policymakers like Congressman Ted Lieu. The organization strives to create viral conversations about AI literacy among constituents.

WESST, the host of the event, is dedicated to supporting New Mexicans in starting and improving businesses. Founded in 1989, WESST, the Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team, focuses on aiding women, people of color and low-wealth individuals with business consulting, training, incubation and access to capital.

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