- Published
When President Donald Trump responded to mounting calls for a slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday, he was unequivocal.
asserted
he → publish → Monday
"AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX," he wrote on social media.
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he → take → media
He earlier argued that "the only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs" is a "strong and smart" president.
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AI → argue → that
Trump's view, unsurprisingly, is not shared by senior Democrats in Congress.
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view → share → 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.
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who → oppose → regulation
Any bill would have to pass in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law.
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bill → have → Representatives
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.
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which → mean → restrictions
And even if they did, whatever bill is passed would most likely require the president's signature to take effect.
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passed → do → effect
Trump's dismissal of the need for regulations on Monday effectively hit pause on any hope for executive action.
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dismissal → hit → action
The House is set to enter recess at the end of the week until after the midterm elections in early November.
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House → set → November
Some leading Democrats are calling for that recess to be delayed until AI safeguards can be passed in the chamber.
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safeguards → lead → 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.
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Jeffries → leave → 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.
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who → call → recess
"Reasonable minds may disagree about precisely how Congress should regulate this rapidly evolving technology," the group said.
uncertain
group → disagree → technology
"We cannot disagree about the imperative for Congress to act."
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Congress → disagree → imperative
Over the weekend, Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna suggested on X that "Congress SHOULD convene a special session" on the issue.
uncertain
Congress → suggest → issue
But it is highly unlikely the recess will be delayed or a special session convened in the coming days.
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session → delay → days
Speaker Johnson, who on Monday faced a barrage of questions about AI from reporters in the halls of Congress, gave no sign he intended to move quickly this week.
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he → face → sign
When asked if the House would take action on AI concerns before breaking for the midterms, he replied: "This is a very complex issue."
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This → ask → midterms
He said Trump would hold a meeting at the White House soon with AI executives to discuss "the responsibility of the companies to maintain safety and what role, if any, the government has to play in that".
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government → say → that
"We want to emphasise the necessity of [AI companies] providing safe products and self-regulating," Johnson said, before adding: "There is also a role potentially for Congress to play."
What that role could look like is unclear - and is a contested question among those in Congress.
uncertain
look → want → Congress
No consensus and competing bills
While Democrats are pushing for more time to address AI safety, they are themselves divided on how best to regulate AI.
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they → compete → AI
Even if the party were to win control of both chambers of Congress in November's elections, there are no guarantees of swift action as it would have to unite behind one proposal.
And there are numerous legislative proposals already on Capitol Hill that are designed to address AI safety, ranging from independent reviews, to a federal "kill switch", to a total moratorium on data centres proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders.
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that → win → Sanders
These diverging proposals point to a lack of consensus in Congress - but also an urgency among some lawmakers to take action.
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proposals → diverge → action
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his Democratic colleague Amy Klobuchar are working on a bill that would force some AI companies to submit to federal oversight.
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that → work → oversight
"You don't want to stifle innovation," Thune said on Monday, "but I think you also want to make sure that the more advanced threats can be mitigated."
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threats → want → Monday
Democratic congresswoman Lori Trahan, meanwhile, has spent months working on a different bipartisan proposal in the House that would give the government the power to halt the use of an AI model if officials find there is an "imminent catastrophic risk".
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officials → spend → model
"The federal government needs to put guardrails in place," she told the BBC, warning that the technology would eventually impact every aspect of society.
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technology → need → society
"I don't think we have any more time to wait.
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we → think → time
Trahan has worked on her proposed legislation, the Frontier Act, jointly with Republican Jay Obernolte and, among other things, it would require independent audits of AI research labs.
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it → work → labs
But Trahan recognised that any movement this week was unlikely.
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movement → recognise → ?
Calls for self-regulation
Some leading Republicans, including Speaker Johnson, have often referred to "self-regulation" when discussing government action and called on the companies to take responsibility for AI safety.
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Republicans → lead → safety
One of Trump's top AI advisers, David Sacks, told the BBC's US partner CBS News on Monday that some of the existential warnings by insiders had been overblown.
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some → tell → insiders
"I think this is becoming a panic," he said.
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he → think → ?
"First and foremost, it is on them to make their products safe," Sacks said.
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Sacks → make → them
"They should tell us how they should do that.
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they → tell → that
If they can't do that, they should step aside for people who can do that."
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who → do → that
"Why are you acting like this is something that you can't control?" he said, referring to Anthropic's boss Dario Amodei, who has called for a slowdown in development.
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who → act → development
"If you can't control it, then don't do it."
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you → control → it
Some experts share the view that, in the short-term at least, it is up to the AI companies to regulate themselves responsibly.
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it → share → themselves
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
