Tech leaders discuss AI regulation in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES — Tech leaders called for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing the need for innovation and safety, in a closed-door AI Insight Forum in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer convened the bipartisan meeting, which included influential tech leaders such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and X’s Elon Musk.
“Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards,” Zuckerberg said. “There are two defining issues for AI: safety and access.”
He mentioned that Meta builds safeguards into its AI models and aims for a cautious AI product rollout.
Musk, who recently started his own AI company called xAI, wanted to keep AI products checked and “to have a referee.”
On the other hand, some senators expressed concern about the private nature of the forum.
“They want to shape regulation so that the current tech billionaires are the ones who continue to dominate and make money,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune reiterated his frustration with the forum’s format, adding that the “flashy and high profile” setting does not give senators an opportunity to ask questions.
