When President Donald Trump responded to mounting calls for a slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday, he was unequivocal. "AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX," he wrote on social media. He earlier argued that "the only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs" is a "strong and smart" president.
Trump's view, unsurprisingly, is not shared by senior Democrats in Congress. It is also opposed by leading figures in the AI sector, who have in recent days issued stark safety warnings and made the case for government regulation. In the US, however, new safety legislation on AI is unlikely anytime soon.
Any bill would have to pass in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law. Trump's staunch opposition to new guardrails on AI means the Republican Party, which has a majority in both chambers, is unlikely to break from him and back restrictions or government controls. And even if they did, whatever bill is passed would most likely require the president's signature to take effect.
Trump's dismissal of the need for regulations on Monday effectively hit pause on any hope for executive action. AI 'kill switch' may need to be mandatory, Anthropic co-founder tells BBC AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBC UK government rejects 'kill switch' idea for dangerous AI Beyond this, a more immediate obstacle to any movement in Congress is the clock. The House is set to enter recess at the end of the week until after the midterm elections in early November.
Some leading Democrats are calling for that recess to be delayed until AI safeguards can be passed in the chamber. "Congress should not leave town until something is done decisively to protect the safety and the wellbeing of the American people," Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Monday. A group of House Democrats calling for Congress to be given more time to debate the issue have also written a letter to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, who would ultimately decide on delaying the recess.
"Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology," the group said. "We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act." Over the weekend, Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna suggested on X that "Congress SHOULD convene a special session" on the issue. But it is highly unlikely the recess will be delayed or a special session convened in the coming days.
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