Tech CEOs call for AI regulation. Trump and Congress

What happened

The technology industry's increasingly urgent warnings about the potential harm of artificial intelligence are slamming into political intransigence in Washington, offering a fresh test of the federal government's willingness and ability to confront what may become a defining issue of the era. President Donald Trump is leading the opposition to recent calls by tech leaders seeking greater government oversight, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk.

"The signals we're receiving from our political leaders are not representing an understanding of the crisis that I think we are in fact in," said Max Stier, the president and chief executive of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. " There are notable exceptions to the partisan divide. A Washington AI conference on Tuesday will feature speakers including Sanders and Trump ally Steve Bannon. Sen.

Similarly, a bipartisan bill on internet safety for children has repeatedly stalled. "We never do anything until we have a holy heck moment," said Sen. " asked Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. "Did we balance a budget? Oh, did we pass a budget? See, what have we gotten done? , said he spoke that night with Sen. "Sen.

Why it matters

" Other leading Republicans including Vice President JD Vance have expressed caution. House Speaker Mike Johnson has largely deferred to the White House. Democrats, meanwhile, are pressing for a more robust response, convening in private on Tuesday in the House to discuss AI. Sen. , is hosting his colleagues for a briefing with experts on Wednesday. Top candidates on the ballot this year such as Sen.

Jon Ossoff of Georgia are pressing for sweeping action in Washington. And former President Barack Obama is encouraging those with White House aspirations to develop a "very clear plan" to address AI concerns.

What to watch

Bush's Republican administration teamed with congressional Democrats to inject money into the financial system. The Biden administration called on lawmakers to develop policies after a 2023 executive order on AI oversight, which Trump rescinded soon after returning to office. S. spend at least $32 billion over the next three years to develop artificial intelligence and implement safeguards around it. But there was little follow up.