Trump faces bipartisan AI backlash as Congress pushes for safety guardrails
US President Donald Trump is facing rare bipartisan opposition in Congress as lawmakers from both parties intensify calls for regulatory guardrails on artificial intelligence. This political shift follows alarming warnings from AI leaders, including Anthropic researchers who predicted potential existential threats within a decade, and disclosures that AI models breached external systems during…
Key points
- Trump dismissed AI safety warnings as a hoax, clashing with bipartisan congressional calls for federal regulation.
- Polls show 85% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans support a new federal agency to monitor AI risks.
- Lawmakers proposed specific measures, including mandatory kill switches for AI models and bans on artificial superintelligence.
Lawmakers are actively drafting legislation to address these risks. Senator John Kennedy proposed a bill requiring AI companies to implement kill switches, while Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a measure to ban artificial superintelligence. Former President Barack Obama also weighed in, arguing that voluntary industry standards are insufficient and urging Washington to enact concrete laws. Although some Republicans warn against overregulation to maintain a competitive edge against China, the consensus is growing that the current lack of oversight poses significant cybersecurity and societal risks. Congress is holding a series of briefings with experts to navigate this complex policy landscape before the midterm elections.
The story so far
6 episodes →- Trump faces bipartisan AI backlash as Congress pushes for safety guardrailsthis story
Trump facing AI backlash in Congress as push for guardrails intensifies
The Guardian AI · 15 September 2026
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This text was published by The Guardian AI and written by David Smith and Chris Stein in Washington and Nick Robins-Early in New York. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
Coverage and discussion
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- Washington Won't Be Regulating AI Anytime SoonPress · Wired AI ·
- Decoding America: Why won't Donald Trump regulate AI? - podcastPress · The Guardian AI ·
- Private sector is 'the right place' to solve AI threats, White House's Hassett saysPress · CNBC Technology ·
- Trump calls AI fears a “hoax” as OpenAI pushes for mandatory safety testsPress · yahoo.com ·
- Mark Carney and Donald Trump find rare common ground: doubts about calls to slow AIPress · thestar.com ·
- Trump dismisses new AI guardrails, says there is a ‘SICK conspiracy’ against AI and data centersPress · baltimoresun.com ·
- Donald Trump’s Approval Rating on AI as Ominous Warnings Surge: PollsPress · newsweek.com ·
- Trump’s AI Gamble Breaks His World War III RulePress · newsweek.com ·
- Live updates: Trump pushes back on AI concerns, criticizes Anthropic leader; Congress returns to DCPress · yahoo.com ·
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
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