Tri-Cities lawmaker named to influential WA artificial intelligence task force

A Tri-Cities lawmaker was selected Friday to serve on a new state attorney general task force on artificial intelligence technology.

State Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, represents the 8th Legislative District and will serve on the 18-person task force that aims to study trends and make legislative policy suggestions.

Boehnke is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and an assistant professor and the founding director of Cyber Security studies at Columbia Basin College in the Tri-Cities. He serves as ranking Republican on the Senate Human Services Committee.

Meetings begin this summer, with a final report due to the governor and Legislature by July 1, 2026.

“What’s important to me is that people have a right and the voice to ensure we’re doing it the right way,” Boehnke told the Tri-City Herald on Friday. “We’re protecting people’s rights and people’s data.”

The popularity of chat bots, and audio and image generators — such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and Sora — powered by large language models and artificial intelligence, have exploded the past couple years especially as software companies began implementing the technologies into their services.

The emerging tech has had its fingerprint on several industries and job sectors. Many companies today use AI to improve their operations, automate tasks and customer service systems, and to supporting their accounting practices, according to Forbes Advisor.

“The impact of artificial intelligence in our economy and daily lives is an urgent issue of our time,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “Washington will lead on innovative and ethical AI, as we have in so many areas. I appreciate the task force members for committing their time and expertise, exemplifying why Washington is a technology leader in this country.”

Washington’s AI task force includes lawmakers — such as state Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Clinton, and Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-White Center — as well as career government officials, technology experts, labor organizations, civil liberty experts and other stakeholders.

The individuals will study intellectual property and personal protections, oversight and accountability, innovation, data privacy and security, transparency, system bias, racial disparity issues in AI systems and human safety, among other topics, said the release.

They will be divided into eight subcommittees focused on education, public safety and ethics, health care, labor, government, state security and cyber security, consumer protections and industry innovation.

Boehnke said he expects it to be a “science-based, fact-based” discussion that spans interests from both sides of the political aisle.

There’s a “fear of the unknown” surrounding AI, Boehnke says, with some comparing the emerging technology to SkyNet from “The Terminator” movie series. When in reality, this technology has important potential for Washington’s humming technology industry and commerce.

“It’s all about innovation and I believe we can use innovation as a tool of success to be a leader for the world’s greatest nation,” Boehnke said.

The task force was created through the passage of Senate Bill 5838, which was approved by the Legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in March.

It’s an approach that mirrors one taken in July 2023 by the federal government, although Congress and many federal agencies largely have not yet enacted binding regulations around AI’s use.

“The Legislature finds that artificial intelligence is a fast-evolving technology that holds extraordinary potential and has a myriad of uses for both the public and private sectors,” said the bill.

“Advances in artificial intelligence technology have led to programs that are capable of creating text, audio and media that are difficult to distinguish from media created by a human. This technology has the potential to provide great benefits to people if used well and to cause great harm if used irresponsibly,” it said.