Bipartisan Senate bill would renew CDO Council, require ‘AI readiness’ work

A bipartisan bill would extend the life of a council of the government’s top data officials and require that body to look at improving data management practices for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

The Modernizing Data Practices to Improve Government Act (S.5109) was introduced last week by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Todd Young, R-Ind., and announced on Monday. That legislation would specifically renew the Chief Data Officers Council — which is set to expire in 2025 — for seven years, and add new requirements for several AI-related actions. 

Under the bill, new actions would include reporting to Congress on recommendations and best practices for data management when it comes to adopting emerging technologies and AI, reporting to Congress on recommendations to “clarify and enhance the roles” of federal CDOs on data and AI, and appointing a representative chief AI officer to the panel.

“Extending the Chief Data Officers Council will ensure that the federal government is able to pursue best practices to manage and protect data, especially as agencies increasingly adopt AI and other technologies to improve government operations,” Peters, chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement included in a release. 

The CDO Council — and the requirement for agencies to have CDOs in the first place — was established in 2018 as part of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act before the current boom in popularity of AI. The proposed legislation comes amid an increased focus on data as the foundational building blocks for new and innovative AI solutions. 

While the bill would create requirements for the council, some work on AI-ready data is already ongoing. A working group within the Department of Commerce, for example, is focused on developing guidelines for how the agency’s own data could be consumed by AI technologies like generative AI.

The new legislation would also require the CDO Council to make recommendations to Congress about data ownership and retention policy language the federal government should include in contracts to procure AI, as well as recommendations for defining and using synthetic data.

“Our bill builds on the Council’s existing efforts and makes AI readiness part of the Council’s purpose, while requiring the CDO Council and the OMB Director to report detailed recommendations on data policy changes,” Young said in a statement in the release. 

Young is one of four members on the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group and was a co-sponsor of the Senate legislation that established the CDO roles and council.

“This bill will help the federal government operate more effectively and provide taxpayers with better service,” he said.