Hakeem Jeffries urges Congress to draft AI regulations amid industry warnings

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday urged House Republicans to stay in Washington, D.C., so the chamber can take up new limits on artificial‑intelligence firms after industry insiders warned the technology could threaten humanity. Jeffries said the calls for a slowdown from the tech world are urgent and that lawmakers must act before the AI boom outpaces regulation. He called on GOP leaders to remain in the capital, where the House can convene committees and hold hearings on the issue.

AI has grown from niche research to mainstream products in the past year, with companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Microsoft releasing models that can write essays, compose music, and even generate realistic video. Experts have raised concerns about misinformation, privacy, and the potential for AI to automate jobs and influence elections. In a recent briefing, several senior engineers from major AI firms told lawmakers that unchecked development could lead to “uncontrolled runaway” systems that are difficult to supervise. The warnings came after a series of high‑profile incidents, including a model that produced false news articles and another that was used to manipulate social‑media sentiment. The tech community has called for a “pause” on the most powerful models until safety standards are in place.

Jeffries said the House will set up a bipartisan task force to draft legislation that could impose stricter data‑use rules, transparency requirements, and an independent oversight body. He noted that the Republican leadership has been traveling to states to raise local issues, delaying national policy discussions. If the GOP stays in Washington, the House could hold a hearing before the Committee on Science, Space and Technology and the Oversight Committee. The next steps will involve gathering testimony from AI experts, ethicists, and civil‑rights advocates, and then moving a bill to the floor. The outcome could set a precedent for how the U.S. regulates emerging technologies and determine whether AI can grow responsibly while protecting public safety.