US partisan divisions emerge, federal AI regulation consensus likely difficult to reach for now

Odaily News: Trump's commitment to AI has reached nearly the limit of what a politician can achieve; meanwhile, Democrats' ambivalence toward AI has also reached the limit of what a political party can sustain. This enormous divide makes it nearly impossible to imagine reaching a federal AI regulatory consensus this year, or possibly even until early 2029, regardless of who wins control of Congress. In his remarks on Sunday, Trump dismissed safety warnings from AI giants as "a lot of negative forces," though it remains unclear who Trump was referring to.

Trump's "AI accelerationist" allies, including Silicon Valley venture capitalists, view these safety alarms as a tactic by dominant players in the field to lock in regulations favorable to themselves. On the other side, congressional Democrats are coalescing around a sense of urgency, but lack an equally clear consensus on what exactly should be done. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said his caucus will meet on Tuesday to debate what actions to take on AI; meanwhile, former President Obama is privately urging Democrats to make AI a top priority. Democratic Representative Greg Casar, however, wants to directly ban superintelligence and pause advanced AI development. (AXIOS)