Senator Ed Markey is taking another swing at Big Tech. The Massachusetts Democrat this week rolled out a package of legislation he calls the “AI accountability agenda,” aiming to curb what he sees as the technology’s most damaging side effects: skyrocketing energy bills from data centers, invasive workplace surveillance, and algorithms that discriminate in hiring and housing.

The centerpiece is a bill requiring data center operators to get a federal certification from the FCC before breaking ground. Companies would have to prove the facilities won’t harm air quality, water supplies, local wildlife, or energy grid reliability. Markey’s office shared a draft with the Guardian, noting the FCC would consult the EPA and local zoning boards. “We need to make sure these datacenters don’t turn into pollution bombs,” Markey said. The agenda also includes bills to ban employers from using automated systems for hiring and firing, force AI developers to run independent bias audits before releasing decision-making algorithms, and give workers the right to override AI recommendations in healthcare settings.

Markey, who is running for a third full term, acknowledged Congress has done little since ChatGPT launched in 2022. But he pointed to one win: the Senate passed his Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act in March, which limits targeted ads and data collection on minors. He’s betting other proposals will eventually find bipartisan support. “Ultimately, there will be national solutions that will be put on the books,” he said. The senator’s push is personal—his father lost a finger in a factory accident before workplace safety laws existed. “My father had another finger, which he used to describe his attitude towards the boss,” Markey recalled at a 2024 rally. “It reflects how too many workers in our country feel.”

Source: The Guardian