Chairman Hudson Delivers Opening Remarks at C&T Subcommittee on AI Applications

Subcommittee will come to order. The chair recognizes himself for an opening statement. Good morning and welcome to today's subcommittee hearing on examining artificial intelligence and how it is being used in communications technology industries. AI is top of mind right now. Not just in this country, but all over the globe. It's been used in different industries for many years, but recent advancements in large language models, machine learning, and generative AI have pushed this technology into the spotlight. Uh, capturing public attention and forever transforming how we live and how we work. The applications for this new technology are widespread. We're continuing to find new ways that AI can be used to benefit Americans' lives. Whether you know it or not, almost everyone uses AI in our daily lives. Like when you use chat GPT to create a shopping list or ask Siri for directions. Or even more specifically, Um, when you called the rideshare to get here this morning. It uses AI to find the fastest route based on traffic patterns. Your cell phone provider uses AI to reduce harmful spectrum interference on your phone, ensuring there's no lapse in service. The entertainment industry uses AI to predict what types of content viewers may enjoy and drives decisions on uh on when that content should be produced. It's been used to develop content and enhance the editing process. Our military uses AI to enhance efficiency with encrypted communications and perfect precision with drones, uh, like we've seen in the war in Ukraine. Even the National Football League uses AI to create the perfect schedule to limit unnecessary travel for players, create an even playing field for teams and maximize fan accessibility for the biggest games. There's demand for AI grows, we must consider what physical infrastructure will be required to continue advanced AI development. Storage capacity and energy consumption demands at data centers are expected to skyrocket by 2030 due to increased AI use. As data capacity increases, we will need robust fiber optics and wireless connectivity to ensure powerful new AI systems can reach their fullest potential and enable every industry to grow. But the United States is not the only country developing advanced AI. China recently released its deep Seek AI model, which showed their advancements. Our adversaries will stop at nothing to undermine our leadership and technological advancement and utilize AI to threaten our very way of life. We must continue to innovate and develop to prevent that from happening. Competition in AI is a global issue, and it is an imperative that the United States maintains its leadership. To do this, our country and Congress must encourage an environment where AI companies can innovate, compete, and excel on the global stage. Just like the light regulatory touch that gave rise to the internet and some of the most successful and cutting edge companies on the planet. AI must be given the same opportunity to assure American companies set the standard for the rest of the world. This is an exciting time and an opportunity to talk about these issues. Navigating these new and evolving technologies will not be without its challenges, but it's our job to meet them head on. Innovation has provided untold benefits to Americans and to our economy. Today, we will hear from our witnesses about how artificial intelligence is being used across the communications and technology industries, as well as what is required for the United States to maintain its leadership and developing AI models. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today, uh, about, uh, these issues and how Congress can stand ready as a partner. I now recognize the ranking member, the gentle lady from California for her opening statement.