Hakeem Jeffries on Artificial Intelligence

Hakeem Jeffries

Role at the time: House Democratic Leader and U.S. Representative for New York's 8th congressional district, posting on his verified X account and speaking to reporters

Statement summary

After the House left for recess a day early, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans had cut and run on AI safety and accused them of not caring about protecting Americans. In an attached clip he said the AI safety issue is very real, described a Democratic plan anchored in urgent, decisive and responsible action, cited industry leaders themselves calling for AI development to slow, and called it irresponsible that Mike Johnson and House Republicans left town rather than working on the issue in a bipartisan and comprehensive way. His characterisation of Republicans as extremists is his own.

“House Republicans just cut and run on AI safety. These extremists don't give a damn about protecting the American people. … The AI safety issue is very real. The Democratic plan is one that will be anchored in urgent, decisive, and responsible action to protect the safety, the health, the well-being of the American people in the face of threats that industry leaders themselves are now saying requires development in AI to slow down. That's why it's so irresponsible that Mike Johnson and House Republicans have got out of town before Sunday, as opposed to working in the Congress in a bipartisan way, in a comprehensive way, to address the urgent issue of AI safety.”