Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to attend a high-level artificial intelligence meeting in Washington later on Tuesday. He stated that he advocates "finding the right balance" on this technology and hopes related regulatory guardrails will be implemented on a voluntary basis.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday before meeting with tech executives and President Trump, Johnson said: "I want it to be voluntary in nature. We will see what comes out of today's meeting. I think that is the direction the industry is heading. They have seen which way the wind is blowing and want to assure investors, consumers, and the American public that AI development will proceed in a very safe manner. I believe doing so can put us in a favorable position."
Industry executives and congressional colleagues alike have been pressing for swift legislation to build an AI regulatory framework and establish government restrictions to prevent harms from AI. Johnson's remarks come against this backdrop. Legislative regulation of artificial intelligence in the United States remains at an early stage. Congress will begin its recess this weekend, with lawmakers leaving Washington and not returning until after the November election.
Recently, AI company executives have warned that once frontier AI technology spins out of control, it could trigger catastrophic risks, and they have called on Washington to take action to slow the pace of frontier technology development. But AI is also an important pillar of the economy, driving markets higher amid multiple unfavorable conditions, and this technology is expected to boost productivity and spawn entirely new technological breakthroughs.
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