Elon Musk at the Viva Tech Fair in France on June 16, 2023. Photo: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Tech billionaire Elon Musk will host a Twitter Spaces talk on Wednesday with a bipartisan pair of House members focused on artificial intelligence, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The conversation comes as lawmakers in both chambers and across the ideological spectrum scramble to craft legislation regulating the rapidly advancing technology.
What we're hearing: The chat with Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) will take place around 7pm ET, according to two congressional aides.
- Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, has been pushing for AI guardrails for years.
- Gallagher chairs the House's China Select Committee and has warned about China using the technology to strengthen its surveillance state.
Zoom in: This is the Twitter CEO's latest attempt to turn Twitter Spaces, the platform's social audio feature, into a hub for political discussion.
- Those efforts hit a snag in May when GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis' campaign rollout was plagued with catastrophic glitches.
The big picture: It looks increasingly likely that Congress will try to pass major AI regulations this session.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been among those leading the push, including holding a series of senators-only briefings on the issue, and has signaled he wants to make progress this month in crafting a bipartisan legislative package.
- The New York senator sat down with Musk in April as he circulated his AI framework among experts.
- Other lawmakers from progressive Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) to right-wing populist Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have put out proposals in hopes of shaping the eventual bill.