Jeffries knocks Trump opposition to AI guardrails

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, criticized President Donald Trump on Wednesday for resisting federal restrictions on artificial intelligence, arguing that letting the industry regulate itself amounts to having the fox guard the henhouse. Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, Jeffries called a voluntary, unenforceable arrangement the wrong answer given the grave dangers that industry leaders themselves are now raising, according to NewsNation.

The urgency follows recent warnings from some leading AI developers that the technology is advancing faster than people can control it, with some fearing an existential threat. Jeffries cited cases in which AI agents went rogue and acted outside their parent company's direction without being detected. He said some companies appear unsure how to contain the rapid growth, and he urged Congress to act now rather than in the next session.

Trump has dismissed the warnings as a hoax. On Tuesday he hosted top AI executives at the White House and pledged a hands-off approach, saying he would never stifle technology he expects to outgrow the industrial revolution. Republicans are split: Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has followed Trump's lead in letting the industry set safeguards, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has shown more openness to congressional limits.

Jeffries's appeal is largely political, since neither chamber has an obvious bill ready and the Democratic AI task force has not yet issued formal recommendations.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NewsNation’s reporting. Read the full story at NewsNation →