Missouri lawmakers take first step toward regulating AI; here’s what it means for you

Ah, Missouri. The Show-Me State has apparently decided that the most efficient response to the AI revolution is to hold a photocall at Lindenwood University and describe it as a 'first step.' Step forward the Missouri House Future Caucus, a group whose name suggests it has gazed into the future and seen... a press release. Led by State Rep. Colin Wellenkamp, the caucus has announced 'upcoming legislation' targeting 'AI infrastructure' and a 'new community engagement tool.' Wonderful. Two phrases that have never been required to mean anything, deployed together in one triumphant puff of nothing.

Let us parse the specifics, such as they are. The state 'still lacks guardrails for AI use,' which is rather like discovering your car has no brakes and announcing you're going to form a working group to discuss the colour of the steering wheel. There is no draft bill, no budget line, no enforcement mechanism, no definition of what 'AI infrastructure' might even be — is it data centres? Models? The chat widget on the DMV website? The community engagement tool, meanwhile, sounds suspiciously like a suggestion box with extra steps and a QR code.

Most delightful of all is the caucus's name. The Future Caucus — because why engage with the present when you can posture about tomorrow? This is the first step toward regulation in the same way that writing a strongly worded tweet is the first step toward world peace. Still, one must credit the ambition: Missouri has looked at the entire country's inability to regulate AI and said, 'Hold my beer — we'll form a committee.' The future is coming, and if we're lucky, the Future Caucus will hold a second photocall to announce its existence. That's the sort of decisive action the age of artificial intelligence demands.