Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) says the federal government needs to crack down on the makers of artificial intelligence programs that are lifting content from local TV stations and repackaging it as their own.

Blumental says, "Artificial Intelligence is, in effect, misappropriating -- it's stealing -- the intellectual property of local reporters & editors and others involved in local journalism; and we need to make sure that they receive the credit & compensation they deserve when Artificial Intelligence exploits their hard work."

He also says Congress needs to enact immediate protections against the practice and begin imposing stiff penalties on those who engage in it.