Bipartisan Coalition Urges Action on AI Safety as Washington Remains Divided

A cross-partisan group of political figures assembled in Washington on Tuesday to express urgent concerns over the risks posed by artificial intelligence, as first reported by CNBC Business. Held at a Marriott ballroom, the 'Pro-Human Assembly'—organized by the tech-risk nonprofit Future of Life Institute—brought together progressive lawmakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) alongside conservative figures such as Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and former White House strategist Steve Bannon. Addressing the crowd, Casar warned that unchecked automation threatens broad facets of public life, stating, 'Our jobs, our freedom and our safety, all at risk. It's hard to think of an issue that fundamentally touches more aspects of our lives.'

The gathering unfolded amid mounting turbulence within the technology sector following a high-profile resignation post by Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon. Coxon claimed on X that leading AI developers, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are 'gambling with our lives' by accelerating development without sufficient safeguards. The fallout prompted OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman to delay the company's planned initial public offering this year over safety concerns. Concurrently, Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei issued an essay calling on the industry to slow down research, a stance that drew online endorsements from Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk.

Despite alarms raised by industry insiders and populist political figures, key federal leaders have pushed back against statutory restrictions. President Donald Trump labeled AI safety warnings a 'hoax' and reaffirmed his support for tech expansion, posting on Truth Social that 'the only control or "guardrails" that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also rejected government intervention, asserting that AI companies should regulate themselves. Johnson warned reporters on Tuesday that an operational pause would yield leadership to geopolitical rivals, stating, 'We cannot have a moratorium on the development of AI, okay, because then we will lose our edge to China, and that has serious national security implications for every American family.'

Speakers at the conference nevertheless called for urgent public intervention against corporate concentration. Bannon urged lawmakers from both parties to set aside political differences and rein in technology executives, saying, 'This is a hinge in history.' He added, 'We can never trust what oligarchs say, because all they do, they're disingenuous, and they lie. This has to be the American people ... We're not going to be supplicants anymore.' Roy, who serves as policy chair for the House Freedom Caucus, offered a position distinct from both the administration and industry leaders. 'The president yesterday said that he should be making the decisions on AI. I disagree. I don't think big tech CEOs should be making all the decisions about AI. I don't think Congress should be making all the decisions about AI,' Roy told attendees, arguing instead that congressional committees should evaluate the technology using external guidance.

Legislative momentum around AI risk remains fractured across Capitol Hill. Casar, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, recently introduced legislation with Sanders aimed at prohibiting AI superintelligence and imposing a temporary pause on advanced system development. Separately, Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) co-led a bipartisan proposal in June to construct a federal governance structure for artificial intelligence. Speaking at Tuesday's event, Trahan stressed the universal threat of losing control over powerful models, stating, 'If we lose grip on this technology, we don't lose it as Democrats or Republicans, as Americans or Chinese. We lose it as human beings, all of us together.'

Near-term congressional intervention appears unlikely as the House prepares to adjourn on Thursday ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Opponents of regulatory limits continue to cite foreign competition, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) telling Politico that if autonomous systems become dangerous, he would 'rather they be American killer robots and not Chinese killer robots.' Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance convened with Capitol Hill Republicans a short distance from the conference on Tuesday morning, where attendees reported that artificial intelligence policy was not discussed.

Looking ahead to international diplomatic efforts, Sanders voiced hope that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping might broker a bilateral agreement to halt advanced AI work during their scheduled summit next week. Sanders stressed the planetary scope of superintelligent models, telling conference attendees that 'a super intelligent AI that escapes human control will not simply be an American problem. It will not be a Chinese problem. It will be humanity's problem.'