Karl Herchenroeder

The federal government is exploring how blockchain technology could potentially address cybersecurity weaknesses, Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-La., said Wednesday during a House Science Committee' Oversight and Technology subcommittees' hearing. Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said blockchain technology has extensive applications beyond cryptocurrency exchanges, including identity authentication and verification, supply chain risk management and digital rights management. Chris Jaikaran, cybersecurity policy analyst at Congressional Research Service, said the General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security are analyzing blockchain as a means for more efficient government business. Congress can provide oversight to federal agencies considering regulatory uses for blockchain technology, he said. IBM Vice President-Blockchain Technologies Jerry Cuomo said blockchain has the “potential to vastly reduce the cost and complexity of getting things done across industries and government.” Walmart Vice President-Food Safety Frank Yiannas said his company and IBM did two “proofs of concept” successfully demonstrating that blockchain technology can provide viable solutions for tracking and verifying food from origin to the store. Aaron Wright, professor at the Cardozo School of Law, said China, Japan and the EU have increased experimentation with the technology. They explored “whether blockchains can secure and manage critical public records, including vital information, identity, and title or deeds to property, and whether blockchains can improve government procurement and taxation processes,” he said in prepared testimony.

The House Oversight Committee’s Information Technology Subcommittee held the first of three hearings on artificial intelligence Wednesday, as Chairman Will Hurd, R-Texas, begins his push to keep the U.S. a leader in developing AI. Witnesses discussed potential uses, including infrastructure defense and analytical processes, and challenges for government adoption of AI. At the second hearing, scheduled for March, officials are expected to explain how agencies are adopting AI, Hurd said, and the third, set for April, will cover private and public sector roles. “We have allies and adversaries, both nation states and individual hackers, who are pursuing artificial intelligence with all they have because dominance in artificial intelligence is a guaranteed leg up in the realm of geopolitics and economics,” Hurd said in opening remarks, saying the end goal for the three-part series is for the U.S. to clearly understand what will be needed to remain an AI leader. Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence CEO Oren Etzioni said AI is neither good nor evil. “It’s a tool. It’s a technology,” he said. Intel Vice President-Chief Technology Officer Amir Khosrowshahi said AI is “poised to create tremendous economic value while solving some of society’s most pressing challenges, but governments must mitigate unwanted impacts.”

CenturyLink Chief Operating Officer Jeff Storey argued for government and service providers to relieve consumers from some of the burden associated with privacy policy agreements, while also expressing “high confidence” in maintaining equal internet access for consumers across the world. Storey was asked Monday how companies can help consumers become more technologically literate, in a Q&A session at a Silicon Flatirons event. Storey answered from a consumer standpoint. When deciding how personal information from devices can be used, he said, government and providers should take on some of that privacy terms and conditions burden. Providers, he said, should have to adhere to uniform privacy standards so the consumers aren't expected to read a company’s “75-page document.”