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Lawmakers Hold Closed Talks on AI, Raising Concerns About Risks
Lawmakers and experts warned that AI could threaten cybersecurity, privacy and military decision-making if Congress fails to set safeguards.
On Thursday, the House Oversight Committee subcommittee held a roundtable titled 'Artificial Intelligence and American Power,' bringing together lawmakers, AI industry executives, and academics to discuss the technology's rapid evolution and national security risks.
Ranking Democrat Maxwell Frost of Florida warned that AI could outpace lawmakers, posing potentially disastrous consequences within 'ten years' if Congress fails to establish common-sense guardrails. 'The house is on fire,' Frost said, without early action.
Lawmakers expressed alarm over Anthropic's Mythos model, which the company limits to select customers due to alleged hacking risks against banks and government agencies. Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., questioned whether AI could deny military lethal actions based on 'moral' conclusions.
Robert Atkinson, founder of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, urged the federal government to 'seriously fund AI safety research.' George Washington University professor Spencer Overton reminded lawmakers that constituents trust them, not companies, to protect them.
Mark Beall of Policy Network Inc. warned Congress risks losing its competitive edge on AI without proactive action. Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., and Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., urged lawmakers to address security, climate impacts, and potential societal upheaval.