A legislative proposal will be introduced on Tuesday aimed at ensuring the safe use of AI for children, Townhall has learned first.
Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) “Safeguard Kids Act” intends to inform students about the “risks” that come with AI use, while also promoting more education about how to navigate it.
“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to be the greatest information innovation since the printing press, but technology is only as good as our ability to use it well and for the right reasons. We cannot let AI be the wild west and hope our kids figure it out; that doesn’t work,” the Florida Republican said in a statement on Tuesday.
The proposal would specifically allow Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grants to be used for counseling to help students deal with the fallout from using chatbots as a therapist, as well as overall AI education, according to the bill's text.
“It’s on us to guide them as they grow. We need to teach kids about the risks associated with AI, so they can be the kind of principled innovators, leaders, and job creators America’s future economy needs,” he added.
His office cited research from Brown University about how AI bots have certain “ethical” obstacles when it comes to people using them for mental health purposes, like counseling.
Twelve percent of teenagers have used chatbots for “emotional support or advice,” according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last fall.
The proposal comes as other bills, like the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) and the Kids Online Safety Act, are also circulating in Congress. The KIDS Act recently passed the House.