PARIS—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) delivered a major speech on the threats posed to the U.S. economy and spiritual health of Americans by unregulated artificial intelligence technology at the Paris Institute of Political Studies during a congressional delegation to Paris, France and Bucharest, Romania.

Murphy acknowledged the potential benefits of this transformational technology: “It will likely turn out to be one of the most socially and economically disruptive technologies ever. It's probably going to be bigger than the printing press or advanced medicine or the internet. And there's also no doubt that it has enormous practical upsides. Medical advances will come more quickly. Production will be cheaper. Administration will become more efficient. Complex societal problems will be solved more easily.”

But Murphy warned the Trump administration is downplaying the potential risks of unregulated AI technology, evidenced by a speech given earlier this year by Vice President J.D. Vance: “The current U.S. administration is right now fully captured by the AI industry, and they are focused only on driving up the industry's profits at the expense of the American worker and the American family. The vice president said at that summit that the White House refuses to view AI as a purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate away our labor force. But this is exactly what unregulated, unchecked AI will do. The vice president claimed that the White House wanted the AI driven internet to be a safe place, but refused to endorse a single rule or a single idea that would keep it safe, apparently believing the industry whitewash that they will just self-regulate and prioritize family and citizen safety above profits, something the tech industry has never done.”

He argued the industry leaders lobbying against AI regulation are prioritizing profit over the common good: “The leaders of these companies, brimming with dangerous hubris, rapacious in their desire to build wealth and power, and far too comfortable in shrugging off the destructive power of their product… They're in a race to deploy and commercialize and profit, and they are paying mere lip service to the ways in which AI and AGI could destroy the already fraying fabric of our country…If we don't decide collectively as a transatlantic community to protect ourselves from the most transformational technology of our lifetime. And as I said, perhaps in the history of the world, we won't have democracies to be able to protect the values that we care so deeply about. We won't be able to debate domestic and foreign policy.”

He pushed back on those who argue regulating AI in the U.S. will give China a strategic advantage in developing the technology: “Frankly, China is likely rooting for us to use American and European citizens as guinea pigs for the AI revolution because they aren't doing that. China's attempts at regulation have been lighter than the EU, but it's just not true that China believes that the way to beat the United States towards AI prominence is by not regulating the industry. China would love for the United States economy to collapse, because we are less thoughtful than Beijing in controlling the job loss they would love for unchecked fake video and audio to turn our culture into chaos. They would love for our young people to become even further lost and isolated as robot friends replace real friends and real interaction. Regulating AI isn't a gift to China – it's a way to make sure that we manage the growth of AI in a way that makes sure that we beat the Chinese in this race.”

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