By rssfeeds-admin “I think there’s a lot of potential in this space, economic potential. We want Ohio to be welcoming,” Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Boardman) said. “State AI regulations, it’s kind of the wild west. Every state has the ability to regulate it, but very few states actually have.”
Fischer is one of the Republicans behind House Bill 392. He said the goal of the bill is simply to create a framework to attract businesses to the state while protecting Ohioans.
“Creating a very limited framework that allows for a market, I think, will send a signal that Ohio is open for business,” he said. “We want folks to invest here. Businesses always look for certainty. They want to understand what they’re getting themselves into. They want to understand what they’re going to have to comply with if they come to our state.”
Fischer described the framework that he and his joint sponsor are trying to create in this bill as “very limited but strict guardrails.”
The bill adds a definition of “artificial intelligence systems” to the Ohio Revised Code, creates guidelines and requirements for risk management, and looks to ensure the safety of Ohioans from the harmful uses of AI.
Ohio Sen. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) agreed that there is a lot of work the state can do in this space.
“State governments clearly have a responsibility to protect citizens from emerging technologies,” he said. “We very much want to seize on the innovation and this new, almost like a new industrial revolution that AI can represent. It’s a transformational technology.”
In his private sector job, Weinstein works within the AI space. He said he sees the need for some state intervention firsthand.
“This is something that I’ve seen the power of it and how it can transform the way that we live and work, and it can be a positive thing,” he said. “We just have to strike that balance in Ohio of having safeguards, for consumer safeguards, for Ohioans who may use AI in different industries where they’re interacting and, at the same time, providing a clear, clear framework that will create, really, like a welcoming back mat for companies to come and grow.”
The bill also takes away some local control, meaning local governments would not be able to enact any more restrictions or prohibit the use of AI than the state does.
“We don’t want to have a case where somebody invests, you know, tens of millions of dollars to relocate their business to Ohio, and the next thing you know, the city passed an ordinance saying, ‘We don’t want you here.’” Fischer said. “That’s what we’re looking to avoid.”
While Fischer said the language in the bill works in the best interest of the state and those AI companies, Weinstein said he is not so sure about it. While Weinstein said yes – the state should create a uniform policy – he thinks local governments can have a say, too.
“That’s the balance that we’ve really got to strike,” he said. “I never like it when state government is taking away home rule, which is enshrined in our Constitution, and it seems like any time a community or a city tries to get out and be a leader on a particular space, if the leadership at the statehouse doesn’t like it, they violate the Constitution and clamp down on that.”
If the bill passes, can the state’s infrastructure support AI expansions? It depends on who you ask.
“The time is right,” Fischer said. “I think there’s a lot of conversation about it. I think there is huge potential for Ohio’s economy to grow in the tech sector. We have a lot of great resources, an abundance of energy resources. We have a lot of water. We have great universities capable of producing a really talented and skilled workforce.”
While Fischer cites an “abundance of energy resources” as a draw to Ohio, Weinstein said he worries that the state is not giving businesses enough options.
“Unfortunately, we have made it very, very difficult for the cheapest forms of new energy to come on to the grid; that is wind and solar, and what you see is a lot of tech companies in a lot of places investing in those resources to help power their operation and to help grow,” Weinstein said. “Frankly, if you’re a tech company, you may want to go where it’s easier to, to get powered by clean energy, and I worry about us losing out to our neighboring states.”
Fischer said the bill is still in early stages, as it was just introduced, so nothing is set in stone yet.
“That’s what the legislative process is for,” he said. “We’re going to take meetings with stakeholders, supporters, opponents, and just kind of see where we need to land.”
Lawmakers are on summer break right now, so there won’t be any movement on the legislation at least until the fall.
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.