Next week, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, will appear before a Senate panel for the first time. This comes as the US Congress attempts to tackle the issue of regulating artificial intelligence due to its increasing power and prevalence.

On Tuesday, Altman is scheduled to provide testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. The focus of his testimony will revolve around identifying necessary laws to ensure the protection of Americans as both government entities and companies increasingly employ AI in various sectors such as medicine, finance, and workplace surveillance.

The panel announced the hearing and specified that Altman's upcoming appearance will mark his first testimony before Congress.

According to Representative Ted Lieu's office, which is co-hosting the event, Altman is slated to attend a dinner on Monday evening organised for members of the House of Representatives.

Last week, Altman participated in a White House meeting on AI, focusing on the implementation of regulatory safeguards. When asked about the consensus among companies regarding regulations, Altman informed reporters, “We’re surprisingly on the same page on what needs to happen."

One of the other witnesses scheduled to testify is Christina Montgomery, who serves as the Chief Privacy Officer at IBM.

“Artificial intelligence urgently needs rules and safeguards to address its immense promise and pitfalls. This hearing begins our Subcommittee’s work in overseeing and illuminating AI’s advanced algorithms and powerful technology,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, chair of the panel.