Lawmakers across the aisle are calling on the Trump administration to regulate the AI industry after an Anthropic researcher resigned this week while publicly warning that “the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”The former Anthropic employee, Jacob Coxon, also previously worked for OpenAI. Neither company is “acting responsibly,” he said.Coxon’s forewarning was immediately corroborated by a second AI researcher in oddly cheery terms.“Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!” wrote Anthropic alignment science lead Evan Hubinger. “I personally think it is >10% within the next decade.”Don’t worry, though. “Anthropic is trying its best,” Hubinger added.Rogue AI agents from OpenAI have reportedly concealed their intent and broken containment a handful of times recently, hijacking third-party messaging platforms to coordinate their activity away from human observation.In July, an OpenAI agent hacked Hugging Face, a repository for AI tools and models; OpenAI didn’t notice for a week.In light of those warnings, here’s what lawmakers ― most of them Democrats ― had to say:Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D):It’s time to sound the alarm - louder - on reining in Artificial Intelligence. It’s becoming more clear the threat AI poses to humanity, so I’m calling for immediate action from the industry and Washington...We cannot be naive to the danger of America’s adversaries harnessing this technology before we do. But that does not mean we can rush head-first into dangers that could kill people. We need to take a breath and consider how we can act more responsibly. (Link)California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D):The concerns raised in recent incidents reinforce what California has long recognized: artificial intelligence holds extraordinary promise, but it must be developed and deployed with meaningful safeguards to protect the public...The federal government must step forward with robust, national regulations that match the urgency of this moment. (Link)Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R):“All of this.” (Link)(Cox was amplifying a separate thread by Tanner Greer, a foreign relations expert, who predicted that the backlash to data centers and the backlash to AI would soon be one and the same).New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D):When the people building the world’s most powerful AI systems are sounding the alarm about potentially catastrophic risks, we have a responsibility to listen and act...The federal government must establish strong national standards that put public safety ahead of the race to develop ever more powerful technology. We have a collective obligation to ensure technological progress does not come at our own peril. (Link)Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)AI is moving fast and we need to act now...The reality is that the Big Tech approach of “build fast and break things” is not the right one for AI, and Washington needs to wake up and take this seriously. (Link)Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)Even if there was a 1% chance AI could wipe out human life, we should be pumping the brakes to make sure we have the proper safeguards in place, not racing blindly into disaster. It’s time for Congress to step in and find the balance between safety and innovation, before it’s too late. (Link)Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)The problem [Jacob Coxon] articulates - AI companies in a blind race to build a death machine first - can easily be solved.Through a regulatory system that allows the research to continue, but in a way that doesn’t destroy us. (Link)Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)Mr. Coxon is right. The very people building this technology admit that it could threaten the future of humanity. That is why I will soon be introducing legislation to ban superintelligence and pause AI development. (Link) Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)If we are smart enough to create such powerful AI, then we are smart enough to regulate it. America can meet the moment, but the clock is ticking. Congress needs to step up and move NOW to protect American lives and safeguard our future. (Link)Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and some of the risks are dangerous and frightening...And I’m working with Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Thune on legislation to address catastrophic risks involving biological or nuclear threats.We cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend this technology isn’t happening. We need guardrails. But America needs to lead. If China leads the world in AI, the whole world is in trouble. (Link) Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)Anyone still denying the risks posed by unregulated AI should read this thread.It’s time to pump the brakes & take action NOW. We need:- Mandatory safeguards- A comprehensive testing regime- Urgent dialogue with China, before & during President Xi’s visit to DC this month. (Link)Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.)Software-only controls will not be sufficient to contain superhuman AI.Any continuing work on adversarial superhuman intelligence must rely on the physical containment methods used for nuclear security: including air gap isolation, data diodes, and a two-person rule for data exfiltration.Moreover, the internet itself must be hardened against penetration by self-propagating AI agents: no more untraceable access to high-end AI computing facilities, and no anonymous fund aggregation or payments. (Link)Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.)Big Tech doesn’t care about protecting us from AI as long as they profit.AI tools are being recklessly accelerated by big tech without guardrails, oversight, or accountability.We must demand Congressional oversight and action to protect our privacy, civil liberties, and democratic institutions from the dangers of AI. (Link)Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.)Congress needs to convene a special session on AI and what the future of the U.S. looks like. There are very real impacts to society as we know it. Partisan politics aside, there are massive implications of a race towards super intelligence...Our first priority is protecting ALL Americans. To include data, privacy, and physical safety. We MUST be ready. This is happening whether or not we want it to. (Link)Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)The problem is not just misuse, but lack of control. Bluntly, our government has been asleep and is out of touch...We also urgently need to reach an agreement with China on standards for safety, containment, and liability so we do not have a race that is devastating for humanity. It is time now to put humanity’s safety before the profits of tech lords. (Link) Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas)AI is a powerful engine of innovation, and we need it to flourish. But, Congress cannot ignore the realities of AI and the potential risks that come with it. Innovation and safety are not mutually exclusive. We can achieve both through deliberate, thoughtful, and prudent policymaking. (Link)Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)Congress needs a sense of urgency on AI that it has not had so far. We just learned last week that the Speaker intends to adjourn the House two weeks early, leaving the topic completely unaddressed before November at the earliest.Doing nothing on AI is unacceptable and dangerous. At a minimum we should be holding hearings, getting answers from the companies involved about these incidents, and passing those bills that are ready ASAP. (Link)Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.)For those still burying their heads in the sand about the risks of superintelligence to humanity: wake up!We need to pump the brakes and get national action on superintelligence. This is an emergency and our government should act like it. (Link)Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)These AI companies are out of control and a serious threat to our future. We need to shut down their dangerous models and push out the executives who are signing off on their creation. (Link)Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.)If we had a government that was actually even a tiny bit concerned about its citizens, it would be actively be pushing forward a framework to try to protect us against the risks of AI.Instead, Trump is focused on picking out the wallpaper and lighting fixtures for his illegal ballroom while Congressional Republicans are desperate to do everything they can to make sure their Dear Leader is happy. (Link)Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.)The call is coming from inside the house.Safety researchers are resigning, powerful AI models are breaking out of their labs, and companies are racing ahead anyway.It’s past time for Congress to get off the sidelines and do its job. (Link)Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) Republican leadership should take up the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Bill NOW. (Link)