SerpApi.Org
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday will introduce a comprehensive AI legislative framework, seen first by Axios, as the technology takes center stage in his reelection campaign.
Why it matters: Warner's home state of Virginia is at the heart of AI debates over data centers and jobs, and he has made AI a defining issue of his midterm race.
- As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the senator has become a leading voice in AI national security and consumer protection issues.
Driving the news: Warner is introducing legislation that would require mandatory government testing of the nation's most advanced AI models.
- The Secure AI Development Act would establish a testing framework for frontier AI models before deployment and create a voluntary AI safety incident reporting system.
- "One lesson I've learned over years of overseeing the Intelligence Community is that our greatest national security failures often come when we recognize a threat but fail to act until after a crisis," Warner will say in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, according to his prepared remarks.
The broader legislative package also includes bills that would:
- Require large data centers to disclose energy and water use, while tying certain federal tax benefits to sustainability standards.
- Create rules for consumer-facing AI agents and ban federal agencies from buying AI systems that can generate child sexual abuse material.
- Require financial regulators to address risks from AI-generated content that could disrupt markets.
- Establish a workforce transition fund financed by limiting certain AI data center tax breaks.
The big picture: As Democrats grapple with AI policy, Warner has distanced himself from progressive positions and rejected ideas on data center moratoriums.
- Virginia is the country's most established ecosystem of data centers with a long-running tax exemption, though lawmakers are considering repealing tax breaks as political pressure for a moratorium is mounting.
What they're saying: "I share the concern of many Americans that the impacts of this technology on our country and our culture could be catastrophic," Warner will say in his floor speech.
- "But let's be honest with ourselves… we're not putting this genie back in the bottle. And the amount of disruption this technology will bring over the next five years is, frankly, beyond jaw-dropping."
