Congress kicks AI fight down the road as lawmakers demand action

The debate over how to regulate artificial intelligence is being pushed past the November midterms, frustrating some lawmakers who warn that Congress is running out of time to address the rapidly evolving technology.

With the House out of session and the Senate facing a crowded agenda before it departs for a monthlong recess, lawmakers are confronting the prospect of yet another year passing without comprehensive AI legislation, even as worries about the technology hit an all-time high.

Some Democratic and Republican members argue that Congress needs to move faster on issues ranging from AI safety to national security and the technology’s impact on critical infrastructure, even as GOP leaders have cautioned against regulation that could stifle innovation or undermine the U.S. in its competition with China.

Though Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump are set to meet with AI leaders next week, it is increasingly likely that legislation on the issue will be kicked to the postmidterm lame-duck session — or potentially even the next Congress.

“I know we have been trying, both Democrats and Republicans, to get Mike Johnson to allow us to actually bring it up in this Congress. I don’t know whether it will happen in the lame-duck session,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, told The Hill. 

“My guess is, if the president still thinks it’s a hoax, that Mike Johnson won’t bring it to the floor, won’t make it a priority. If Donald Trump suddenly gets the insight that federal regulation of AI is a good thing, then yes, we could. We have a couple of weeks there, and we can actually do something meaningful,” Beyer........

© The Hill