MORNING GLORY: Spare us the AI apocalypse rhetoric. Let Congress decide what comes next

Every morning brings a new warning about "artificial intelligence" (AI) along the lines of, "We are all going to die." By afternoon, or by the next day at the latest, comes the counter-warning: "Stand down.

Nothing to see here." For those of us who need a YouTube video to start the dishwasher or to find the emergency lights on a rental car, the correct posture is difficult to guess.

"Guess" is the operative word here, because if 0.01% of America understands the debate, I would be surprised.

AI EXTINCTION WARNINGS DOMINATE HEADLINES AFTER EX-ANTHROPIC EMPLOYEE'S VIRAL POST Almost everyone who cared to read or watch the Cold War unfold knew the score of that arms race when it came to nuclear weapons.

Similarly, most conventional conflicts—whether Ukraine’s extraordinary defense against the Russian invasion, Israel’s multi-front war following Hamas’ 10/7 attack in 2023, or America’s ongoing battle with Iran to deny it both nuclear weapons and control over the Strait of Hormuz—are of the sort that most free people who want to understand those conflicts can understand (with a little time and care in choosing their sources).

Not so with "AI" and its potential and dangers.

RESEARCHER WHO DEPARTED AI ROLE OVER FEARS OF RACING INTO EXTINCTION SAYS PEOPLE ARE 'BEGGING' FOR REGULATION On Saturday, Dario Amodei , Anthropic’s chief executive, said in an essay that AI was advancing too quickly for researchers to continue building it safely.

Within a day, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive; Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive; and Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind’s CEO, all said they agreed on the need for a slower pace.

ANTHROPIC CEO LIKENS AI FIGHT WITH CHINA TO COLD WAR, SEEKS 'DISARMAMENT NEGOTIATIONS' By Monday morning, billionaire tech investor David Sacks’ response to Amodei was everywhere on X, formerly known as Twitter, and the post had some bite.

In addition to rejecting "AI doomerism," Sacks unsubtly proposed that Amodei could be motivated by self-interest (which is pretty much Adam Smith 101): "I don’t see what you see in the lab.

If the unreleased models are scary enough that you think you should slow down, I support your decision to be responsible." MIKE JOHNSON REJECTS AI MORATORIUM OVER CHINA THREAT AS CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST DEMANDS GUARDRAILS Then Sacks landed the roundhouse punch: "But stop pretending you need anyone else’s permission.

Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended so you can form a cartel.

Stop pretending you need a regulatory approval process that supersedes product liability." Sacks may or may not have President Donald Trump’s ear on this topic, but Sacks is the co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, so there is a good chance he does.