Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced today the first bill of several yet to come that he says will provide a “light-touch” regulatory approach to safe AI development and deployment by reducing the regulatory burden placed on AI developers.
The senator’s Strengthening Artificial intelligence Normalization and Diffusion By Oversight and eXperimentation, or SANDBOX Act, is the first of a series of bills that he plans to introduce as part of his five-pillar AI legislative framework, he announced today during a Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness hearing.
“How policymakers approach the issue of regulating artificial intelligence is one of the most important questions of our time,” said Sen. Cruz in prepared remarks during the hearing. “Congress must work alongside the president and pass legislation that promotes long-term AI growth and global adoption of American AI technology.”
The legislative framework’s five areas include unleashing American innovation and long-term growth; protecting free speech in the age of AI; preventing AI regulatory patchworks across states; stopping the use of AI for nefarious acts such as fraud and scams; and “defending human value and dignity,” which the senator said includes “reinvigorating bioethical considerations in federal policy.”
As part of that framework, Sen. Cruz’s SANDBOX Act seeks to require the federal government to establish a contained and secure testing area for AI software that “will give entrepreneurs room to breathe, build, and compete within a defined space bounded by guardrails for safety and accountability.”
AI developers and those deploying the technology would apply through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to modify or waive certain regulations that may affect their ability to innovate. Congress would also receive regular reports on how frequently rules are waived or modified to help create future regulations.
The bill aims to address common concerns among lawmakers, federal officials, and members of industry that, without federal action, inconsistent laws regulating AI across states will impede innovation, particularly as the nation races to stay ahead of adversaries such as China.
“The SANDBOX Act embodies the correct approach to AI policy, one that harnesses the power of American ingenuity and entrepreneurial freedom and sets us on a course to beating China in the AI race,” said Sen. Cruz, adding that “if the United States fails to lead, those values will not be American values, but the values of regimes that use AI to control rather than to liberate.”
During the congressional hearing where Sen. Cruz announced his framework and act, OSTP Director Michael Kratsios voiced support for the senator’s legislative efforts. Kratsios said he would work with the committee to help sign the SANDBOX Act into law, citing priorities under the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan released in July to build AI sandboxes for industry members.
“I have personally seen the power of these sandboxes to be able to allow great American minds – innovators – to actually put their tools to the test in real-life situations,” Kratsios told the committee while speaking in support of the legislative proposal.