Stopping the AI arms race isn't just necessary. It's possible.

“[The DoE shall] assist Congress in determining the potential for controlled AI systems to reach artificial superintelligence, exceed human oversight or operational control, or pose existential threats to humanity.”

“[We'll discuss] superintelligent AI, that would be so powerful and capable that we would see it as a 'digital god.' [...] I hope we will spend our time today on the specific policy solutions necessary to avert the long-term risks of AI and the potential doomsday scenarios.”

“One of the features of artificial intelligence is it scares the heck out of members of both parties. It provides an opportunity to come together in ways that might only happen if we were attacked by space aliens — in which case no one would care which political party you belong to.”

“I would have treaties, and stop this immediately. [... AI] may be more lethal than nuclear weapons. [...] We don't want any masters. The American people are masters of themselves.”

“Superintelligent AI could become smarter than human beings, could become independent of human control and pose an existential threat to the entire human race.”

“I'm not voting for the development of skynet and the rise of the machines [...] by taking away state rights to regulate and make laws on all AI.”

“The deeper we get into it, the more we realize that it's also possible that the race to be the first in AI is the race to be the first to lose control.”

“[How do we] ensure human control of increasingly autonomous AI [R&D] systems? [… Action] must quicken and intensify, before the next generation of AI systems begins writing the future without us in the loop.”

“This is something that we have to get right, and we only get one shot at. Once AI capability crosses a certain threshold, whether that be recursive self-improvement or some other threshold, there's going to be an escape velocity.”

“We should not be trying to generate technology that will supplant us as human beings. Human beings must be in charge of this state, this country. [...] There needs to be a way to pull the plug.”

“Artificial superintelligence is one of the largest existential threats that we face right now. […] Is it possible that a loss of control by any nation-state, including our own, could give rise to an independent AGI or ASI actor that globally we will need to contend with?”

“Some experts warn we are just a few years away from the emergence of artificial general intelligence [...] We need to do our best to understand what kinds of impact AI can have on our economy and society and develop potential solutions now, before it's too late.”

“Artificial Intelligence is the biggest technological threat we've faced since the invention of the atomic bomb.”

“We talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over. Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it's not any more fantasy, or futuristic. It is here today.”

“Humanity must remain in control. Humans should choose how and whether to delegate decisions to AI systems. [...] Development of superintelligence should be prohibited[.]”

“A wild, unregulated AI industry that is accountable to no one developing Artificial General Intelligence should scare us all into action.”

“Whoever leads in AI may lead this century — but what if AI itself is in control? We're spending trillions to make AI more powerful and almost nothing to ensure it remains controllable. [... We should use] the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a model for what you should be negotiating with China.”

“I have got pages and pages of AI deliberately disabling various developer-installed oversight mechanisms, shutdown commands being ignored, replicating itself[....] How in the hell are we in here telling everybody that we have got to incorporate this into the Federal Government [...] when we know these things are occurring?”

“AI may soon match or surpass human performance [at] AI research and development itself. We do not know if this progress will occur rapidly or slowly, and it is wise for the Department to prepare for a variety of possibilities. [...] Could AI systems become so capable at AI research and development tasks that we experience [...] 'recursive improvement'?”

“AGI [...] provides even more frightening prospects for harm. [...] One to three years has been the latest prediction, in fact, before this Committee. And we know that artificial intelligence that is as smart as human beings is also capable of deceiving us, manipulating us, and concealing facts from us, and having a mind of its own when it comes to warfare.”

“How do you perceive the risk of recursive self-improvement? There are growing concerns about the possibility of essentially superintelligent systems[....] Because these systems are moving very, very quickly, and I think it's probably irresponsible not to have a plan for those conditions.”

“I don't pretend to be among the cognoscenti, but the idea that my computer could turn on me and use my banking data or whatever else it had is concerning. [...] What are the major strategic missteps you think that Congress might make that would be a terrible mistake in the AGI world?”

“Industry leaders have publicly acknowledged the development of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems, with some discussing the potential for artificial general intelligence and superintelligence that could fundamentally reshape the society of the United States.”

“Agentic misalignment is not yet a household term, but it soon will be. In Silicon Valley, where I live, it's on the mind of every AI researcher and engineer with whom I speak, including those who work at the largest hyperscalers. Even the most optimistic among them warn of the potential misuse of AI to produce very dystopian outcomes.”

“At some point it won't be a human that is the first mover anymore; it will be the algorithm itself. How long before we get there? [...] We probably thought by 2050 you would be getting to artificial superintelligence, but it looks like maybe before 2030.”

“Let's make sure AI doesn't destroy the world. We need to pass robust laws to mandate testing for frontier AI models, put in guardrails, and ensure AI does not become an accomplice to mass murder in the future.”

“It did not work out well for Neanderthal. So my focus is on whether we're going to see artificial intelligence that has general intelligence, self-awareness, and what I call the ambition, or survival instinct[.]”