Congress asks if the AI business would like to regulate itself
Widespread fears that AI might start some kind of apocalypse put pressure on regulators to, at the very least, appear to be doing something to stop it. One of the more pronounced examples came in May when the Senate Judiciary Committee called in OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for a hearing.
You might think a hearing with one of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley would come with a lot of hard-hitting questions. But apparently, Altman spent the lead-up to the hearing schmoozing and making friends with the politicians, and the charm offensive worked. For the most part, it was a calm and friendly affair that saw politicians complimenting Altman and even referring to him by his first name like old friends. One senator even asked Altman if he’d be interested in leading a new regulatory agency that would oversee his industry. He politely declined.
