A new Texas House committee will study and make recommendations related to the “challenges and opportunities” posed by artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, including data privacy and cybersecurity, Chairman Dade Phelan said. It was announced on Tuesday.
“AI has the power to change the world,” said Rep. Phelan (R-Beaumont) in a news release. “But we first need to consider the implications of its various uses, including data privacy and cybersecurity concerns.”
The House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies will examine how public and private stakeholders are using AI and other tools, as well as address issues in areas such as jobs, health care, homeland and national security, and transportation. It has been decreed that the application of this technology will be studied. panel.
The five-member commission will also develop “legislative, policy, regulatory, and corrective action recommendations” for the public and private sectors.
Mr. Phelan appointed Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a leading figure in the House of Representatives in the areas of information technology and finance, to chair the five-person committee. The other members are Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano; Oscar Longoria, D-Mission. Angelia Orr (R-Itasca) and Armando Warre (D-Houston), a total of three Republicans and two Democrats.
The committee's first report is expected to be submitted on May 16th. The Interim Committee is scheduled to be dissolved at the start of the 89th Congress in January.
In a social media post, Leach emphasized that the committee will look to identify ways to make Texas “a leader in AI technology while ensuring responsible use.”
“As the productive use of AI continues to expand, so too does its impact,” Leach wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. “It's time to really weigh the pros and cons.”
The creation of the five-member commission strengthens Texas lawmakers' stated commitment to spearhead state-level technology policy during the 2025 legislative session.
Capriglione (R-Southlake) leads the AI Advisory Board, a separate committee tasked with examining how state government agencies, rather than private companies, are using artificial intelligence. There is also.
Capriglione and Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, created the seven-member council with the passage of House Bill 2060 in May. Recommendations on potential policies and rules are expected to be released by December.
The commission's new chairman and other Republican state lawmakers said they aim to make Texas' high-tech policy a model for other states and other countries.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to make Texas a world leader in ethical AI development,” Capriglione said. I wrote this in Tuesday's X post.
This article was originally published in Austin American-Statesman: Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan opens a select Committee on AI.
