Washington — In September 2023, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and other tech giants gathered with senators in Congress to discuss what Musk called the "civilizational risks" posed by artificial intelligence. Three years later, these tech giants have ramped up their investments in AI, and Congress has yet to pass any comprehensive laws to limit or establish safety frameworks for this rapidly advancing technology.
Lack of Agreement in Congress
Despite holding multiple committee meetings and forming research groups to examine artificial intelligence, there is still no agreement in the House of Representatives or the Senate on how to address the issue. This failure was recently highlighted by the resignation of three AI researchers from major companies, who acknowledged concerns about controlling this technology. Jacob Coxon, who resigned from Anthropic, wrote in a post: "People who build AI seriously believe it might kill us by the end of the decade."
Read more: Mike Johnson: We Need 'Boundaries' for Artificial Intelligence!
Calls for Action
Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, announced on Thursday that it had blocked some accounts related to foreign governments or militaries due to suspicious research that could aid in the development of biological weapons. Diari Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, also published an article stating that advancements in artificial intelligence are progressing very rapidly and companies should deliberately "slow down the pace of progress." This idea has been endorsed by Altman and Musk.
Despite these serious warnings, it seems that lawmakers will not take any action before election day to address the risks of artificial intelligence. Lori Trahan, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts, called for the passage of the "Frontier" bill, which she co-authored with Republican Representative Jay Obernolte from California. This bill establishes new safety and transparency rules for major AI companies.
Congress has been under pressure in recent weeks due to growing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence. However, Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has shown little willingness to prioritize broader regulations in this area. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, stated that artificial intelligence is an important issue, but action cannot be taken quickly.
Read more: Tech Leader: Dell Shares Will Soar 350% by 2026 · Congress Faces a Legislative Dilemma on Artificial Intelligence
