GoKawiil
Tech News
A commentary responds to recent calls from politicians and business executives for an AI 'kill switch' that could shut down advanced AI systems in an emergency, a proposal that followed high-profile hacking incidents involving AI agents. The author argues that effective national AI regulation cannot rely on a single switch or one person's control.
Texas Democrat Rep. Greg Casar told Gizmodo that the three most pressing AI-related dangers are mass unemployment, mass surveillance, and mass destruction. His comments come amid broader criticism that Democratic lawmakers have been slow to craft policy responses to public anxiety over artificial intelligence.
At a public event in Manhattan hosted by the AI Now Institute, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the federal government has failed to regulate artificial intelligence, leaving cities to respond on their own. He pointed to his administration's recent actions, including a ban on AI use in New York City elementary and middle schools and a policy requiring real estate listings to disclose AI-generated photos or videos.
Politico reports that Anthropic representatives have been privately negotiating with lawmakers over draft federal AI legislation. Sources describe a proposal in which the government could only order an AI model shut down if an independent monitor, overseen by the Commerce Department, determines it risks killing 50 or more people, causing over $1 billion in damages, or triggering a bioweapon release, major cyberattack, or loss of control — with a federal judge making the final call within 72 hours of a report.
In an interview on The Verge's Decoder podcast, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker addressed artificial intelligence, comparing its potential dangers to nuclear weapons while also suggesting it could extend human lifespan to 100 years. The conversation, conducted ahead of the midterm elections, also touched on government's role in addressing collective action problems around technology and privacy.
Ahead of November's midterms, Democratic lawmakers are signaling plans to intensify oversight of AI companies if they regain control of one or both congressional chambers. Senior Democrats on key committees have pointed to data center tax credits and recent hacking incidents as areas they want to investigate, with committee control potentially letting them subpoena documents and call tech CEOs to testify.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has warned that AI companies should deliberately slow product development, citing a potential scenario where AI agents cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage within six to twelve months. His warning adds to growing calls from Silicon Valley figures for caution as AI capabilities advance faster than government regulation.
In an interview with CNBC's David Faber, Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell said AI models need built-in safeguards and controls, comparing the technology to fire that can both help and harm. He said government has a role to play alongside companies setting their own permission limits, though he declined to specify what government regulation should look like, noting he is not a policymaker.
Microsoft President Brad Smith told ITV that AI systems face less regulatory scrutiny than milk or washing machines, urging governments to apply established safety practices and require companies to build emergency shutdown mechanisms into AI systems. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella followed with an X post arguing that major AI companies lack a 'mechanistic understanding' of their own tools and called for slower development, incident reporting and independent review.
Microsoft President Brad Smith argued that everyday products like milk and washing machines are subject to more stringent safety regulations than artificial intelligence systems. He called for governments worldwide to establish stronger safety rules as AI capabilities continue to grow more powerful.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said on a BBC podcast that AI companies face less oversight than everyday products like milk or washing machines, and called for urgent global safety regulation. He argued the UK, through its AI Security Institute, is better positioned than the US or EU to lead that effort, even as the Trump administration has reportedly pressured Anthropic and OpenAI to limit British access to new models.
During San Francisco's Tech Week, AI founders and venture capitalists discussed the Trump administration's largely voluntary approach to AI oversight, including a 308-word safety pact signed last month that asks labs to self-monitor rather than follow binding rules. At an Andreessen Horowitz-organized event, PitchBook's Kyle Stanford highlighted that the U.S. government is allocating $1 trillion to defense, with $13.5 billion earmarked for autonomous systems and AI, framing it as a major investment opportunity.