Lawmakers and AI critics call for regulation amid growing safety concerns
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At a Future of Life Institute event in Washington, senators and representatives from across the political spectrum urged Congress to act on artificial intelligence safety, while the president dismissed the warnings as unfounded.
Lawmakers gathered on Tuesday at a Future of Life Institute meeting in Washington to press for federal oversight of artificial intelligence after a former Anthropic employee warned of serious risks. The resignation and public statement by the employee heightened scrutiny of rapid AI development, prompting CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic to pause public offerings and call for slower progress.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon urged both parties to set aside partisanship and protect the public, saying, > "This is a hinge in history. We can never trust what oligarchs say, because all they do, they're disingenuous, and they lie. This has to be the American people ... We're not going to be supplicants anymore."
President Donald Trump dismissed the concerns, posting on his social platform that AI only needs "a strong and smart (High IQ!) president," and House Speaker Mike Johnson argued that tech firms, not Congress, should self-regulate. Senator Ted Cruz warned that if AI becomes lethal, the United States should develop its own systems rather than allow foreign adversaries to do so.
Progressive leaders also voiced alarm. Senator Bernie Sanders and the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus introduced legislation to halt advanced AI development, while Representative Lori Trahan co-authored bipartisan bills to create a federal framework for AI governance. Trahan emphasized that losing control of the technology would affect all humanity, not just political rivals.
Republican Representative Jim Roy, a hard-right Freedom Caucus member, called for a balanced approach, stating that neither the president nor big-tech CEOs should make all AI decisions and that Congress should involve expert input through its committees.
With the House set to adjourn before the November election, immediate legislative action appears unlikely. Lawmakers continue to debate whether regulatory measures could disadvantage U.S. firms relative to competitors such as China, a concern echoed by Speaker Johnson, who warned against a moratorium that might erode national security.