Miami
Mike Johnson says Congress should not take the lead on an immediate AI response
The U.S. House speaker argued that AI companies should take primary responsibility for safety. He also said he would only bring lawmakers back for a vote if a concrete solution were already on the table.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Congress should not spearhead an emergency push to regulate artificial intelligence safety, arguing instead that the companies developing the technology are in a position to slow their own work if needed.
According to Axios, Johnson had been urged this week to cancel the House recess and bring lawmakers back to Washington to pass AI safeguards. In appearances on CNN and NBC, he said a rushed congressional intervention is not the right answer and that any action should be handled carefully.
Johnson also said he would be willing to recall House members and schedule a vote on AI regulation if a clear solution already existed. At the same time, he said guardrails and safety measures are necessary, while warning that the United States cannot afford to lose its competitive edge against China in what he described as a national security matter as well.
Axios reported that Johnson wants to organize a meeting involving President Donald Trump, members of Congress and top AI executives. In that context, he said he would rather see company leaders take responsibility for the safety of their products than press Congress to impose rules.
His position echoed that of David Sacks, the former White House AI czar, who said major labs should slow the pace of development on their own instead of relying on government intervention.
On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC that Democrats planned to meet Tuesday morning to discuss AI. He said decisive action is needed now to slow development and protect the public, reflecting concerns recently acknowledged by industry CEOs.
During a CNN interview, Jake Tapper noted that several AI leaders agreed with a 3,800-word essay published Saturday by Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, which called for slower AI development and additional safety measures. Johnson appeared skeptical, saying the companies do not share a common view on what those guardrails should look like.
He also said Americans should not panic over the technology or the most dire warnings surrounding it. Axios noted that the debate is intensifying as rank-and-file lawmakers continue to call for action.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
