Rep. Ritchie Torres introduces AI legislation

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres has filed legislation that would require all artificial-intelligence-created content to be paired with a mandatory disclaimer.

The “AI Disclosure Act of 2023” makes it so that content created with AI technology would have the following language included that says “this output has been generated by artificial intelligence.” This would apply to photos, text, audios, and any other AI-generated material.

“Artificial intelligence is the most revolutionary technology of our time. It has the potential to be a weapon of mass disinformation, dislocation, and destruction,” Torres said in a news release.

“Carefully crafting a regulatory framework for managing the existential risks of AI will be one of the central challenges confronting Congress in the years and decades to come.

“There is danger in both under-regulating and over-regulating.

“The simplest place to start is disclosure.”

He added that disclosure is by no means a magic bullet, but it’s a common-sense starting point to what will surely be a long road toward federal regulation.

Under the legislation, the Federal Trade Commission would be responsible for enforcement of any violations.

Rivera’s ‘Coverage For All’ bill passes

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s “Coverage 4 All” bill, which was excluded from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget in May passed the state Senate on June 8.

The legislation would expand the 1332 Waiver language from the state budget to include the coverage of undocumented New York residents.

“Today, we have taken a major step in our efforts to make quality and affordable healthcare accessible to all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status,” Rivera stated in a release. “Passing Coverage 4 All has been a long-standing goal of mine and I could not be prouder to get this over the finish line in the Senate.”

Rivera has said that getting the proposal through the legislature would ensure thousands of uninsured New York residents can take care of their health while also “potentially saving New York millions in the long-term.”

“Health care is a basic human right,” Rivera said on the Senate floor.

“We must seek that out. We cannot continue down the path of taking health care and making it a commodity where the poor and the working class folks don’t have access to what wealthy have access to. We have to move away from a system that does that. This moves us down that road.”

Immigrant Heritage Month bill floated

Rep. Torres and U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey announced on June 9 they are introducing a resolution recognizing June as “Immigrant Heritage Month.”

“I am proud to be leading this bicameral resolution with Rep. Ritchie Torres to recognize immigrants and their families for their many contributions to the fabric of America and for everything they do to strengthen America’s promise,” Menendez, who is the son of Cuban refugees, stated.

“The story of immigrants is the story of America,” said Torres. “I am proud to represent one of the most diverse districts in the country — home to immigrants from all over the world who have come here for the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families.

“With this bicameral resolution, we celebrate and uplift their stories, successes, and contributions to our way of life that have shaped American culture for the better for generations and affirmed the promise of our great country.”

The resolution celebrates accomplishments of immigrants in making the country healthier, safer, diverse, and prosperous, according to Torres. It also recognizes the immigrants who have served in armed forces and those who served as essential workers during Covid-19.