(Adnkronos) – “The alarm bells are ringing like never before, and the Trump administration is turning the other way. If they don’t take their responsibilities, we will. And if Trump doesn’t act, Congress must.” This is what the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, states in a declaration where he asks the Trump administration for a classified briefing with all senators to “address the serious risks posed by uncontrolled artificial intelligence development and the lack of action in stopping China’s development of this technology.”
“The American people deserve better from their government at this crucial time,” adds the Democratic leader. “I have long argued that the US remains a global leader in AI innovation and security. But innovation,” he concludes, “must be accompanied by protective measures that can earn the trust of Americans.”
Schumer’s request comes as concern over AI has been growing for days in the US and worldwide, after researchers and industry insiders themselves raised the alarm about the speed of development of these models, evoking the risk of losing control. Schumer’s move signals how Democrats intend to make the issue central to the midterm election campaign, especially after Barack Obama stated that for Democrats, also in view of the 2028 presidential elections, they must have a clear plan for the security of AI development.
“If I were running for president next year, this would be one of the central points of the program, I would have a clear plan, I would talk about it saying ‘this is our plan for security, to ensure that our children are not corrupted by this development,’ I would think about the economic impact in a concrete way trying to understand any job losses,’ said the former Democratic president speaking in recent days at a fundraising reception for the Democrats, emphasizing that, while not being a ‘catastrophist,’ he believes that the alarm bells about AI cannot be ignored.”
Quite different is the position of the Republican congressional leadership who, in line with Donald Trump’s stance, who pointed the finger at ‘negative forces’ calling for a slowdown in AI development, emphasizing the need to stay ahead of China ‘because whoever wins with AI, wins,’ and who are against a ‘congressional rush’ to pass regulations that ‘would make us lose the race with China and would be a threat to every American.’ ‘Panic is not necessary now, we must manage this technology like others in the past and ensure that we do everything responsibly, so as not to stifle American innovation,’ said Speaker Mike Johnson.
