Target: Ted Cruz, Chair of U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Goal: Support states’ ability to regulate AI and to protect consumer interests.
“Now you have a new invasive species.” This ominous prediction is what the director of one artificial intelligence (AI) safety organization gave as the worst outcome of unchecked and unregulated AI systems. Recent research has seemingly backed up the belief that increasingly advanced AI could one day work against the interests of its developers – and of humanity itself. In a series of experiments, a prominent system displayed the ability to sabotage commands given to it, to secretly reproduce itself onto unknown platforms, and even to “blackmail” engineers who had threatened to shut it down. As developers race to create an AI system capable of thinking on its own, the risk increases exponentially, which is why safeguards are more important than ever. But a caveat in a massive bill under consideration by Congress could dismantle these essential guardrails entirely.
The administration’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” includes the following provision: “no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, any law or regulation of that State or a political subdivision thereof limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce.” In simpler terms, all 50 states would be almost entirely prohibited from regulating any AI that has a national impact. The implications of such a large restriction on a rapidly developing technology would be enormous both for the industries that could be upended by AI and for the nation as a whole, if developers do lose control over their creations.
Sign the petition below to demand lawmakers reject giving this clear and present danger free rein.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Cruz,
“They would take control over more computing devices, form an AI species and collude with each other against human beings.” This is not the logline for a motion picture blockbuster. It is an excerpt from a research abstract detailing the potential threat AI could pose in just a few years’ time. The “Big Beautiful Bill” includes a provision that would render states powerless to develop and enforce regulations on this emerging technology for a decade. In ten years’ time, AI could easily evolve into an existential threat for the American economy and for the global infrastructure.
AI safety advocate Palisade Research has laid out the stakes simply: “It’s great that we’re seeing warning signs before the systems become so powerful we can’t control them. That is exactly the time to raise the alarm: before the fire has gotten out of control.” The time is now to stop Frankenstein’s monster from roaring to life and inflicting carnage. Ensure states’ rights and remove AI regulation restrictions from any pending legislation immediately.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Rama
