If you are a mere mortal like me, following the artificial intelligence (AI) policy debate is confusing. There are issues in generative AI, health care AI, creating new AI, copyright and AI, offensive coordinator AI, large language AI, and on and on. There is a hearing on every issue, and usually more than one piece of legislation addressing each issue. It feels overwhelming.

Fortunately, Technology and Innovation Policy Analyst Joshua Levine has ridden to the rescue with an AI Legislation Tracker that charts the policy developments in federal artificial intelligence legislation (and will be updated every two weeks). The tracker classifies bills based on their intent and breaks them into five categories:

1. Enabling AI Use,
2. Mitigating Harms,
3. Workforce Development,
4. Government Use, and
5. Research and Development.

It also highlights whether the bill is in the House or Senate, its sponsor, the number of cosponsors, committee of jurisdiction, and whether there is a companion bill in the other chamber of Congress. This is all very useful, but there is also a very short summary of the bill, identification of whether there is funding for the bill, a description of how the bill will be implemented, enforcement, and any other notes of interest. It is a powerful tool for understanding what Congress is up to in any area of AI policy.

To take an example, Eakinomics randomly chose the Jobs of the Future Act of 2023 (JFA), a House bill that falls under workforce development and is sponsored by Rep. Darren Soto and four others. It falls within the jurisdictions of the Committee on Education and the Workforce; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and has no companion bill in the Senate. The Tracker notes: “The bill seeks to study the impact of AI on workforce opportunities in the United States and how to best prepare workers for future opportunities and avoid sustained job displacement.” This seems important, but there is no funding for the bill and all that it produces is a report within one year: “The bill requires a report to assess the potential impact of AI on different sectors and types of workers, analyzing which industries are most exposed to AI-powered technologies, what skills will be necessary to perform new jobs, which populations are prepared for the AI-driven transition and identify areas where Congress and other relevant stakeholders can steer outcomes related to AI’s impact on the workforce.” My only question is whether an AI is allowed to write the report.

Count me underwhelmed, but that’s not the Tracker’s fault. It quickly identified a relatively low-impact bill, and in a sea of congressional AI proposals it can just as quickly find those whose future could change the course of relevant regulation.