Senate Commerce committee advances AI, identity-theft measures and raises public-works thresholds

At a meeting of the Idaho Senate Commerce Committee, members voted to send two request-for-statements (RS) bills — RS 32-179 on artificial intelligence and RS 32-131 on identity theft — to print and advanced three House public-works bills (H050, H052 and H056) to the Senate floor with due-pass recommendations.

The RS on artificial intelligence (RS 32-179) was presented by Senator Ben Toews of District 4 as a conversation starter about governance of AI. "If control of AI was centralized with just a few, that it would be a big problem for our society," Toews said, adding the RS is "really just meant to start a conversation" and that he did not expect a full hearing at this stage. The committee voted, by voice, to send RS 32-179 to print.

The committee also sent RS 32-131 to print. Toews described that RS as strengthening identity-theft protections by updating the types of personally identifiable information covered and by requiring responsible entities to offer victims free credit monitoring and guidance when a breach makes misuse of information likely. "It also protects Idaho residents by ensuring that agencies and other entities are responsible for offering victims free credit monitoring and informing them on how to protect themselves," Toews said. That RS will be scheduled for printing and a later hearing.

On public-works measures, Senator Dave Lent (District…