Lawmakers and political figures from across the ideological spectrum gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the "Pro-Human Assembly" to advocate for regulatory guardrails on artificial intelligence. The event featured speakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Trump, who joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress calling for a "human-centric" approach to AI development.
The assembly occurred amid increasing public and internal warnings regarding the trajectory of AI technology. Jacob Coxon, a researcher who recently resigned from the AI developer Anthropic, told reporters that while current AI is safe, future advanced models could pose an existential threat to humanity. Coxon accused Anthropic and OpenAI of "gambling with our lives" through rapid development, a sentiment echoed by calls for a slowdown from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Elon Musk.
During the conference, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stated that his constituents are concerned about the physical impact of AI data centers, including noise and competition for water resources. Roy questioned the motives of AI CEOs calling for regulation, suggesting they might be attempting to "corner the market." Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) compared the current situation to a Cold War-style arms race, while Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) highlighted the FRONTIER Act, a bipartisan bill she introduced with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) that would require independent evaluators for frontier AI models.
The scale of the issue is reflected in the involvement of major technology firms and high-level government officials. While CEOs from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are calling for caution, President Trump has characterized fears of rapid AI development as a "HOAX" and argued that a strong executive is the primary requirement for managing the technology. This disagreement creates a complex environment for members of Congress who must decide whether to move forward with legislative guardrails or defer to executive oversight. Rep. Trahan noted that opposition from the leader of the Republican party complicates bipartisan momentum but stated she still expects movement on legislation in the coming weeks.
The knock-on effects of these discussions extend to international competition and the global economy. If the U.S. implements regulations, it may set a precedent for international "arms race" dynamics mentioned by Rep. Casar, potentially influencing how countries like China develop similar technologies. Conversely, a lack of regulation could lead to what researchers like Coxon describe as uncontrollable risks. The next immediate step involves House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who announced he and AI industry leaders will meet with President Trump at the White House within the next week to discuss the future of the technology.