Congress turns its attention to artificial intelligence this week as some of the most high-profile names in Big Tech descend on Capitol Hill for a first-of-its-kind gathering to brainstorm ways lawmakers can regulate the fast-moving technology that experts have warned could lead to human extinction.
In a closed-door meeting Wednesday, all 100 senators will hear from Elon Musk, who bought Twitter and rebranded it X; Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg; Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT company OpenAI; and a host of other prominent tech leaders for what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has dubbed his inaugural AI Insight Forum.
The Senate brainstorming sessions will run through the fall. “Let’s see if there’s enough oxygen in the room for all of us,” quipped Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who plans to attend.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said with a smile that he's anticipating “a lot of drama” Wednesday, perhaps a nod to the much-hyped cage match that never materialized this year between tech titans Musk and Zuckerberg.
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With a who’s who of the tech world all in one building, the forum is sure to attract an army of staffers, lobbyists and reporters. Security is heightened anytime Musk, also the top executive at SpaceX and Tesla and the world’s richest person, enters the Capitol; security will be even tighter with a band of tech billionaires roaming the halls.
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