Congress splits over AI guardrails as industry leaders urge development to slow down

The people building some of the world's most powerful AI systems are warning the technology

is moving too fast and could eventually slip beyond human control. Now, that warning has landed on Capitol Hill

There's a lot of talk about what to do, but so far no agreement on how far Congress should go

And the divide was on full display Tuesday. Attorney General Todd Blanche sided with President Trump, who calls fears of AI taking over the

world a hoax. Blanche says the timing two months before the midterms is political

This should not be breaking news that this AI issue that's suddenly come up two months before an election is being, the president calls it a hoax

The way this has come around today and not three months ago

I mean, I was watching the news today. Every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about AI after being eerily silent for months and months and months

So to talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms

I shouldn't have to say that out loud. House Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress shouldn't rush into new AI restrictions

but he is open to some guardrails including independent audits and more transparency from the companies developing the technology He also says President Trump plans to bring top AI executives to the White House within the next week

They can self-police, they can self-regulate, they don't need the government to tell them to slow it down

If they want to slow it down, they should. But we cannot have a moratorium on the development of AI, okay, because then we will lose our edge to China

And that has serious national security implications for every American family. Democratic senators are pressing Congress to move faster

Richard Blumenthal says lawmakers shouldn't leave for another recess without acting. These new models are scary. We're dealing here with real peril, not science fiction

And so there should be an urgency. We should not break for any kind of recess without dealing with AI

When it comes to new technology, Congress is seldom ever in the front of the parade

a leg far behind. But for the president to tell us not to worry, that's not enough

However, there is some movement toward a middle ground. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he wants a light touch that addresses the most

serious AI threats without stifling development. But so far, Congress hasn't agreed on what that looks like or when it will act