As A.I. Booms, Lawmakers Struggle to Understand the Technology

In November 2016, the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness held the first congressional hearing on A.I., with Mr. Musk’s warnings cited twice by lawmakers. In Washington, some lawmakers tried creating rules for facial recognition technology and for company audits to prevent discriminatory algorithms. In January, about 150 lawmakers and their staffs packed a meeting, hosted by the usually sleepy A.I. The Federal Trade Commission has brought enforcement orders against companies that used A.I. in violation of its consumer protection rules.