As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to keep up with the changes.

The state has yet to pass any laws regulating the technology, but Rep. Bob Merski (D) hopes his House Resolution 170 will help Pennsylvania enact informed legislation when the time comes.

"In many ways, it's like a fire," said Merski on AI. “If its in your fireplace, its safe, its warm, it give you light. But if it escapes and your house is on fire, that’s no good.”

H.R. 170 would create a committee that studies AI and recommends laws to the General Assembly.

There are at least 12 other states that have taken similar routes of creating research committees, many of which have gone on to actually enact laws.

“What we’re trying to do with artificial intelligence is stay ahead of the technology with regulations so that in all areas- commerce, education, consumer protection that we make sure we have guardrails in place," said Merski.

H.R. 170 was approved to go to the House floor last year, and can be voted on when the House comes back to session in March.

Daryl Lim, who teaches at Dickinson Law and is in their Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, laid out several priorities a committee should take when regulating AI.

"Data privacy and protection are critical, especially given the vast data sets AI technologies utilize," said Lim. "Legislation must be robust in overseeing how data is collected, stored, and processed, addressing AI's unique challenges."

Other areas to consider are accountability and liability for decisions made with AI, ethical standards for use and implementation into the workforce, and general regulations for using AI in the public sector.

There are several Pennsylvania bills already addressing AI in specific ways. H.B. 1663 regulates how artificial intelligence is used in health insurance claim processes. H.B. 1373, another bill from Merski, criminalizes impersonating voices for scams.

“The letter of the law right now states you can’t record somebody without their permission," said Merski. "What it doesn’t say is that you can’t impersonate that person using artificial intelligence. So we want to change the law to update to the current technology.”

There are still no federal regulations on AI, though the White House has proposed a 'Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights'. Congress also has several committees and bills formed on the topic.

As governments across the nation are working to regulate AI, they are also asking how they can use the technology in their own systems. Later this week, we will cover how Pennsylvania's Office of Administration has partnered with OpenAI to use a pilot program in their day to day work.