Representative Jesse Sumner (R – Wasilla) used the Microsoft Bing AI co-pilot to write a bill that would legalize gambling on Alaska ferries. Sumner told the Landmine he submitted the idea for the bill to the Legislature’s lawyers in January, but they failed to get a draft bill back to him.

Sumner got the idea after initially seeing if the AI could help him with House Bill 86, a bill about money transmission and virtual currency. Sumner wanted it to help write an amendment for the bill. The AI initially declined to assist Sumner, instead suggesting that he contact his local representative or senator. Once Sumner told the AI he was a representative, it started to help him.

Sumner then asked the AI to write a bill legalizing gambling on Alaska ferries. Below is what it generated. Sumner said the Legislature’s lawyers told him the bill looked good, adding that the bill granted a lot of regulatory authority to department. Sumner said he plans on introducing the AI bill, but wants to give the Legislature’s lawyers a week to finish their version so he can compare the two.

Here is a possible example of a house bill for the 33rd Alaskan legislature legalizing and regulating gambling on just the Alaska marine highway system:
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ Introduced by: Representative __________
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED “An Act relating to gambling on vessels of the Alaska marine highway system; and providing for an effective date.”
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
•       Section 1. AS 05.15 is amended by adding a new section to read:
Sec. 05.15.180. Gambling on vessels of the Alaska marine highway system. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a person may conduct or participate in gambling activities on board a vessel of the Alaska marine highway system if
(1) the vessel is operating on a route that is at least 24 hours long;
(2) the gambling activities are authorized by a permit issued by the department under this section;
(3) the gambling activities are conducted only in designated areas of the vessel that are separate from passenger cabins, dining areas, and children’s play areas;
(4) the gambling activities are conducted only when the vessel is at least three nautical miles away from any port or shore;
(5) the gambling activities are limited to bingo, pull-tabs, raffles, lotteries, card games, dice games, slot machines, video lottery terminals, or other games of chance authorized by the department by regulation;
(6) the gambling activities are conducted only by persons who are at least 21 years of age and have valid identification;
(7) the gambling activities are subject to a tax of 10 percent of the gross receipts, which shall be collected by the permit holder and remitted to the department monthly;
(8) the permit holder pays an annual fee of $10,000 to the department for each vessel on which gambling activities are conducted;
(9) the permit holder maintains accurate records of all gambling transactions and makes them available for inspection by the department or its agents;
(10) the permit holder complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to gambling, public health, safety, and welfare.
(b) The department may issue a permit to conduct gambling activities on board a vessel of the Alaska marine highway system to
(1) a qualified organization as defined in AS 05.15.690 that has been in existence for at least two years and has a primary purpose other than conducting gambling activities;
(2) a business entity that is registered and in good standing with the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development and that has entered into a contract with a qualified organization under (1) of this subsection to operate gambling activities on its behalf.
© The department may adopt regulations to implement and enforce this section, including regulations governing
(1) the application and renewal process for permits;
(2) the types and specifications of games and devices that may be used for gambling activities;
(3) the hours and days of operation of gambling activities;
(4) the security and surveillance measures required for gambling activities;
(5) the accounting and auditing standards for gambling activities;
(6) the reporting and disclosure requirements for permit holders;
(7) the penalties and sanctions for violations of this section or regulations adopted under this section.
(d) The department may suspend or revoke a permit issued under this section for any violation of this section or regulations adopted under this section, or for any other cause that the department determines is contrary to the public interest.
(e) A person who conducts or participates in gambling activities on board a vessel of the Alaska marine highway system without a valid permit issued under this section, or who violates any provision of this section or regulations adopted under this section, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
(f) In this section,
(1) “department” means the Department of Revenue;
(2) “gambling” has the meaning given in AS 11.66.280;
(3) “vessel” means a ship, boat, ferry, or other watercraft that is owned or operated by the state as part of the Alaska marine highway system.
•       Sec. 2. This Act takes effect July 1, 2023.

With his new-found assistant, Sumner then asked the AI to draft a bill that would replace Legislative Legal Services with an AI that would assist legislators in drafting bills. He sent the bill to them for review, but said the Legislature’s lawyers have not gotten back to him yet. Here is what the AI generated:

Here is a possible example of a house bill for the 33rd Alaskan legislature that replaces legislative legal services with a large language model that meets certain requirements set forth in statute for accuracy:
HOUSE BILL NO. ___ Introduced by: Representative __________
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED “An Act relating to the use of a large language model for legislative drafting and research; repealing the Division of Legal and Research Services; establishing the Office of Legislative Language Modeling; and providing for an effective date.”
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
•       Section 1. AS 24.20 is amended by adding a new section to read:
Sec. 24.20.075. Office of Legislative Language Modeling. (a) There is established in the Legislative Affairs Agency the Office of Legislative Language Modeling. The office is headed by a director who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency.
(b) The office shall provide legislative drafting and research services to legislators and legislative committees using a large language model that meets the requirements of AS 24.20.080.
© The office may contract with third parties to obtain, maintain, or improve the large language model or to provide additional services related to legislative drafting and research.
(d) The office shall adopt regulations under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) to implement and enforce this section, including regulations governing
(1) the procurement, testing, and evaluation of the large language model;
(2) the training and supervision of staff who use or oversee the use of the large language model;
(3) the quality control and review procedures for the products and services generated by the large language model;
(4) the security and confidentiality measures for the data and information used or produced by the large language model;
(5) the reporting and disclosure requirements for the office and its contractors.
•       Sec. 2. AS 24.20 is amended by adding a new section to read:
Sec. 24.20.080. Requirements for large language model. (a) The large language model used by the Office of Legislative Language Modeling under AS 24.20.075 must
(1) be capable of generating natural language texts that are coherent, consistent, clear, concise, accurate, and complete;
(2) be able to process natural language queries and requests from users and provide relevant information or texts in response;
(3) be able to access, analyze, and synthesize data and information from various sources, including statutes, regulations, case law, legislative history, reports, studies, news articles, and other documents;
(4) be able to incorporate user feedback and corrections into its learning process and improve its performance over time;
(5) be able to adhere to the formatting and style conventions used by the Legislative Affairs Agency;
(6) be able to detect and flag errors, inconsistencies, ambiguities, or conflicts in its own texts or in texts provided by users;
(7) be able to explain its reasoning and sources for its texts or information upon request;
(8) be able to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to legislative drafting and research.
(b) The office shall establish performance standards and metrics for evaluating the large language model’s compliance with the requirements of this section.
© The office shall conduct regular audits and reviews of the large language model’s outputs and outcomes to ensure its quality, reliability, validity, and accountability.
(d) The office shall report annually to the legislature on the status, performance, costs, benefits, challenges, and opportunities of using the large language model for legislative drafting and research.
•       Sec. 3. AS 24.20.130 is repealed.
•       Sec. 4. This Act takes effect July 1, 2023.

As artificial intelligence grows and becomes more accessible, many have expressed concern that it could replace white collar jobs. Others have suggested it could be used to augment work and would allow for more productivity. Either way, artificial intelligence is quickly ushering in a new era of technology. Few can predict where it will lead.