White House AI rollout exposes widening rift
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
A week after the White House unveiled its long-awaited national AI legislative framework, Washington has renewed momentum to pass federal laws but no roadmap on how to get there.
Why it matters: The administration's loose AI playbook for Congress is exposing cracks beneath the GOP's apparent consensus.
What they're saying: At the Axios AI+DC Summit this week, attendees grumbled about a lack of clarity in the copyright section of the framework as Republican members of Congress showcased diverging opinions on AI's impact on voters and kids.
- White House Office of Science and Technology Policy director Michael Kratsios struck a hopeful tone about Congress getting something done, even as disagreements about how far Congress should go threaten to stall progress.
- When asked if the goal is to have Congress send a bill to the president's desk this year, he said: "Yes, we want to try to get it as expeditiously as possible."
Take, for instance, the different ways that Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reacted to Meta and YouTube being found liable in a Los Angeles court for making their products addictive.
- When asked if the ruling should influence how any AI bill treats kids' online safety, Cammack said that "I don't think that this is the bombshell that everyone thinks that it is."
- Instead, she called it "more of a level-setter" as lawmakers try to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate approaches to kids' online safety.
- Hawley, in contrast, called the verdict "hugely significant" and said it's time for Congress to take action to ban AI chatbots for minors.
- "These juries just said no amount of profit justifies destroying a child's life," he said. "It'd be nice if the United States Congress maybe got on the same page."
Zoom in: Key sticking points include:
- Kids' online safety: Republicans are split over whether to hold platforms liable for harms or pursue lighter-touch rules focused on transparency and parental controls.
- Copyright: They're divided over how to protect creators as AI firms train on copyrighted material, and the White House wants to leave it up to the courts.
- Data centers: They're searching for a path forward as they face growing local backlash over energy and land use as the White House calls on Congress to shield households from higher power bills.
Friction point: It's possible Republicans lose some political control after the midterms, but Democrats have their own divides.
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) at the summit called a proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to pass a moratorium on building AI data centers "idiocy."
What we're watching: Some Democrats are trying to sharpen the party's AI message, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who co-chairs the House Democratic Commission on AI.
- "Our job is to put together the Democratic perspective on AI in the House of Representatives and the legislative agenda," he said at an event hosted by SeedAI in Washington this week.
- "I'm hoping we win the House in a few months and we'll be governing next year. And so it's very important that we have put forward a clear perspective and a legislative agenda."
