Howitt Sponsors Artificial Intelligence Bill

State Representative Steve Howitt, R-Seekonk, has co-sponsored a bill regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

The legislation filed on January 11 is known as the Massachusetts Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Act. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, as provided in Chapter 24A of the General Laws, would be responsible for the enforcement of the law and may establish any rules or regulations it deems necessary to carry out the obligations of the law.

The bill reads in part: “Artificial intelligence” shall mean computerized methods and tools, including but not limited to machine learning and natural language processing, that act in a way that resembles human cognitive abilities when it comes to solving problems or performing certain tasks.

“AI-generated content” shall mean image, video, audio, print or text content that is substantially created or modified by a generative artificial intelligence system such that the use of the system materially alters the meaning or significance that a reasonable person would take away from the content.

Any person located within the commonwealth using a generative artificial intelligence system to create audio, video, text or print AI-generated content, or repurposing such content, shall be prohibited from removing any notice or disclosure, as provided in section 2. A violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.