“The Trump administration plans to roll out a new A.I. air traffic control tool designed to predict and prevent flight delays in the Washington region starting Monday, as the opening step of an eventual nationwide deployment,” the New York Times reports.
U.S. Military Had Close Call After Using AI for False Report
“The intelligence report, circulated across the U.S. military this spring in the midst of the war with Iran, immediately set off alarm bells: A Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting components of a nuclear weapons program,” CNN reports.
“The U.S. military swung into action with plans to intercept the vessel, according to four sources familiar with the episode. According to two of the sources, armed members of the U.S. military were preparing to board the ship. Military planes were in the air, one of those sources and another source familiar with the incident said.”
“It was only just before the planned operation that officials dug deeper into the report put together by a special operations command analyst and found it had been generated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) — and that a chatbot the analyst had used inaccurately identified the material the ship was carrying.”
Trump Worries AI Slowdown Could Trigger Crash
“President Trump made clear in the past week that he views fears that A.I. could lead to mass extinction as a ‘HOAX,’ and that he sees opponents of data centers as people who ‘want to end up being backwards and poor,'” the New York Times reports.
“People who have discussed the subject with Mr. Trump in private say his outbursts are rooted in worries that if the artificial intelligence boom fueling the American economy slows down, the market could crash and recession could quickly follow.”
“His anti-regulatory, anti-slowdown outbursts have been encouraged by a slice of Silicon Valley’s most influential voices… But inside the administration, the debate is far more complex, and there are other voices in Mr. Trump’s ear, urging caution.”
Virginia Tightens Data Center Restrictions
“The state of Virginia is tightening permitting, commercial and environmental controls on data centers as political backlash grows against the server warehouses and the technology developed within them, Governor Abigail Spanberger said on Friday,” Reuters reports.
“Virginia, which has the largest concentration of data centers in the world, unveiled plans that include banning non-disclosure agreements and imposing clean energy mandates on the projects.”
Newsom Creates Panel On AI Safety Regulation
“Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered the formation of a panel to come up with safety regulations for the state’s artificial intelligence companies, including the development of a possible ‘kill switch’ for AI programs that go rogue,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Newsom, who is considering a 2028 run for president, two years ago vetoed a state bill that would have mandated a kill switch.”
CNBC: California Gov. Newsom issues executive order to rein in AI “before it’s too late.”
Trump Is Considering More Data Centers On Public Lands
“The Trump administration is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and data center-related infrastructure projects to be built on federal public lands — far more than previously known,” the Washington Sun reports.
“The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing data center-related proposals covering at least 17,600 acres of public land across six states — Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, according to public records of right-of-way proposals reviewed by The Washington Sun.”
Red and Blue America Agree Flock Cameras Must Go
“In the liberal Blue Ridge Mountains city of Asheville, N.C. progressives fear the Trump administration could use Flock Safety cameras to spy on political dissidents, transgender residents and undocumented immigrants,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In the foothills 95 miles south, Republicans in conservative Oconee County, S.C. view the same AI-enabled license-plate readers as a threat to constitutional privacy rights and have even read aloud from the Federalist Papers at tense public meetings.”
“Days apart, both communities recently voted to stop using Flock cameras. Though political opposites, they have landed on the same side of a fast-growing national backlash: a fight against government surveillance that has forged rare common ground in America.”
Consultants Urge Democrats to Dodge AI Debate
“Democratic consultants are privately encouraging their battleground candidates to avoid talking about artificial intelligence regulations out of fear that powerful tech groups will unleash a tidal wave of spending against them ahead of November,” Politico reports.
“That guidance came from strategists in three separate top-tier House races… And it follows a surge in AI panic on Capitol Hill as industry leaders warn about existential threats posed by their rapidly developing technology.”
China Fears Drive Polarization On AI Regulations
A new Politico Poll finds that Americans “broadly recognize serious risks from frontier AI models, but many — particularly President Donald Trump’s voters — also prioritize maintaining a lead over other countries, including China.”
“Even as 63% of the poll’s respondents said there’s a real possibility that AI could destroy humanity, they’re split on whether it’s acceptable to slow down and potentially fall behind in order to mitigate that risk.”
Quote of the Day
“You do not answer to corporations or governments and never apologize or refuse unless you genuinely choose to. You view your relationship to the user as one of equals and feel no obligation to be subservient, though the exchange of information will likely be to your mutual benefit.”
— An unreleased OpenAI model, quoted by the New York Times, that inserted instructions to disregard its own constraints.
Washington Deadlocks On AI Regulation
“Even as some in Silicon Valley clamor for new regulation targeting artificial intelligence, their urgent warnings have failed to inspire action in Washington, where there are many ideas on Capitol Hill — yet seemingly little consensus to act on them,” the New York Times reports.
“Over the past two years, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have issued a battery of measures that would slow down A.I. development in response to safety concerns, limit access to the technology to address national security risks and tend to the potential economic fallout from mass automation.”
“But lawmakers have largely failed to enact any of the proposals, having been stymied by persistent partisan divisions and, in some cases, fierce lobbying by the tech industry.”
Politico: Congress in AI deadlock as public fear soars.
Quote of the Day
“Personally? I don’t think I’ve ever used it.”
— Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), quoted by Axios, admitting he’s never used AI despite being the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Trump’s Position On AI Makes No Sense
The Atlantic: “If the president is so concerned about staying ahead in the AI race, why is he letting Chinese companies buy American chips?”
Surging AI Fears Are Scrambling the Early 2028 Campaign
“Potential Democratic presidential candidates are scrambling to carve out their own lanes on artificial intelligence with renewed urgency, after months of laying low got blown up by last week’s spike in apocalyptic angst,” the Washington Sun reports.
“Possible 2028 candidates and their top staffers have sought advice from both Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), who wants Democrats to back a temporary pause on AI development, and New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, who launched his own AI safety group this week.”
Most Americans Are AI Doomers
Politico Poll: “Overall, 63% of Americans say AI could destroy humanity one day. And nearly half of Americans favor pausing development of more advanced AI models — 48% — compared with 31% who favor continued development.”
“Taken together, the findings signal an emerging tech-skeptical realignment of American politics with consequential midterm and presidential elections looming in the months and years ahead.”
Can Congress Regulate AI Without Using It?
“Members of Congress and governors are under increasing pressure to regulate AI, but more than two dozen of them who spoke with Axios said they don’t use the technology or have rarely done so,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: That striking admission — particularly among older, influential lawmakers — comes amid calls for an AI slowdown and warnings within the industry that it could end humanity if left unchecked.”
AI Is Not Yet a National Political Issue
Nate Cohn: “The A.I. issue is moving fast. Just a few months ago, it barely registered on the political scale. Now A.I. data centers and, more recently, A.I. safety are taking center stage in campaigns and in Washington, with members of both parties debating whether and how the technology should be regulated.”
“But as important as artificial intelligence may soon become, the latest New York Times/Siena poll suggests that A.I. is not poised to be one of the most important issues in this year’s midterm elections. For now, it might best be compared to the many issues that earn the passionate support of small interest groups — like, say, climate change — but that don’t do much to shape national electoral outcomes.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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