As data centers remain potent political issue, David Crowley offers plan to regulate artificial intelligence in Wisconsin

In a governor’s race that has focused more on data center construction than artificial intelligence technology, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley on Tuesday announced a plan for state regulations on AI aimed at protecting vulnerable Wisconsinites. 

In an 11-point plan shared with Wisconsin Watch, Crowley calls for guardrails on AI offerings for minors and holding technology companies responsible for scams and fraud on their platforms. Some key components of the plan include: 

• Limiting access to AI chatbot apps for children under 13. 
• Prohibiting addictive design features, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay, on accounts of minors.
• Increasing penalties for circulating AI-generated sexual images of minors. 
• Allowing families to sue AI platforms if their content harms children, such as by promoting suicide or eating disorders. 
• Penalizing technology companies that profit from scams or fraudulent ads. 
• More funding for adult protective services and resource centers that can help victims of scams or fraud.

Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, is running for governor against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in what polling from Marquette University Law School shows could be another close governor’s race in Wisconsin. AI policy debates between the two candidates in the months since the August primary have mostly been focused on the planning and construction of AI data centers, rather than the technology itself.