When I was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2010, generative artificial intelligence was a niche concept many had never considered outside of science fiction. Now, just 14 years later, we have seen rapid technological advances in AI and machine learning, with new uses for the technologies being discovered seemingly by the day.
State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick
For our state, it’s already being employed to power everything from vital functions in our healthcare system to supporting student learning in the classroom. These advancements are significant wins for Georgians, who continuously find new ways to use AI to make their work and lives easier and more efficient.
Yet, AI’s impact in Georgia goes far beyond the individual roles it is playing in our state’s industries. It is also helping to make our economy more competitive. Studies continue to show that small businesses find significant value in using AI. With it, they have newfound support that helps to boost their capacity and improve efficiency. For our small business community, which continues to face labor shortages in major cities like Atlanta, this ability to do more with less is paramount to their growth.
Beyond helping small businesses grow, which supports a more competitive economy, AI is also fueling new opportunities for Georgians. I know this first hand as a corporate attorney that works exclusively with growing entrepreneurs. Thanks to bipartisan efforts to make Georgia a business-friendly regulatory climate and create openness to innovation, Georgia has quickly become a growing tech hub for AI. With it, our state has become a top destination for AI-related jobs in recent years, Now, with our leading academic research institutions forming strategic partnerships with the industry, we’re likely to see our status as a leading AI tech hub grow as more talent is cultivated in and brought to our state. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of educational and professional opportunities stemming from AI provides promising new pathways that could transform kids’ lives, particularly as more groups offer hands-on learning opportunities with the technology.
As a lawmaker, seeing AI’s many benefits for Georgians reaffirms the need to strike a regulatory balance regarding AI. Reasonable guidelines are essential. But if we mistakenly overregulate the industry, we could disrupt and chill the growth-stimulating innovation we are trying to protect. While there is still no clear answer to the perfect regulatory balance, I am proud our state has begun to have these conversations and continues to recognize the importance of getting this right.
Last year, I was offered the opportunity to sit on the House Subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence for the House Technology and Infrastructure Committee, which ultimately passed legislation that targeted the misuse of the technology by political campaigns to sway elections. Now, as the Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence begins its work this summer, I hope to see it produce similarly balanced and reasonable policy proposals that preserve innovation when we return to session next fall.
State Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, is an attorney and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She has served on the House Subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence of the House Technology and Infrastructure Committee.
