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Senator Lieber urges lawmakers to prepare for artificial-intelligence 'renaissance'
Summary
Senator Lieber urged the Senate to take an active role on artificial intelligence, praised a newly created legislative AI committee and cited rapid tech-sector job growth and workforce needs in South Carolina.
Senator Lieber used a personal-interest recognition on the floor to urge the Legislature to study and prepare for artificial intelligence's economic and workforce impacts.
"AI is going to be the biggest thing ever," he said, citing studies he said show tech jobs in South Carolina have "surged 57% since 2020, supporting over a 140,000 positions" and average wages "nearly $97,000 a year." He told colleagues the state’s universities, including the University of South Carolina and Clemson, are working to prepare graduates for high-demand AI roles and thanked leadership for creating an AI committee to coordinate legislative attention.
Why it matters: Lieber framed AI as both an economic opportunity and a workforce challenge, saying the Legislature needs to discuss regulatory and educational responses and that he plans to file bills in the coming weeks. He noted the committee will consider federal actions and best practices from other states.
Quotes on the floor emphasized both promise and precaution: "AI will impact employment in South Carolina ... we gotta be on the forefront of at least having conversations about it," he said.
What’s next: Lieber said he looks forward to serving on the new committee and to introducing bills addressing AI's implications for jobs and training.
