House Democrats Urge Speaker Johnson to Cancel Recess for Immediate AI Safeguards Legislation
A bipartisan group of House Democrats, including Representatives George Whitesides, Sam Liccardo, Lori Trahan, and Ted Lieu, has sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to cancel the upcoming congressional recess. Their primary concern is the immediate need to pass legislation establishing safeguards for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Citing the catastrophic risks posed by advanced AI, the representatives are calling for urgent action to prevent potential widespread societal disruption and threats to human safety. The letter, initially obtained by Axios.com, emphasizes that Congress's inaction on this critical issue is becoming increasingly indefensible. The House was originally scheduled for a one-week recess starting on the 14th, followed by another recess until November 9th, after the midterm elections. The lawmakers argue that delaying legislative efforts on AI regulation would be a disservice to the nation's most pressing challenges. They specifically highlighted two bills: the 'AI Kil...