House AI Taskforce Urges Incremental Sectoral Regulation

by Zachary Barlow

January 21, 2025

AI has arrived quickly and continues to develop at a rapid pace, leaving governments asking the question: how should we regulate AI? A new report issued by the House bipartisan task force on artificial intelligence may give some insight into how US lawmakers and regulators are thinking about this issue. One main takeaway is lawmakers’ focus on a sectoral approach, allowing existing regulators to adopt rules for their sectors rather than pushing for one sweeping federal AI law or regulation. A recent memo from DLA Piper breaks down the report stating:

“A major takeaway of the report is that there is a bipartisan consensus among AI-focused lawmakers to avoid reinventing the wheel, demonstrating their support for public-private partnerships, and the protection of the innovation ecosystem. Although there were suggestions of creating an entirely new agency, or ‘Department of AI,’ it seems that the US will likely utilize existing laws and structures, and modernize those laws based on agency and AI application.”

This sectoral approach differs from other jurisdictions, such as the EU, which have adopted sweeping AI regulations at the highest levels of government. While the incoming administration is expected to relax AI and technology regulations, there is bipartisan consensus around some AI issues, such as regulating “deep fake” technology that poses security and privacy concerns. These areas of consensus are low-hanging fruit for regulators and will likely be the first issues addressed by new regulations.