The Republican Party has aired its concerns with how Donald Trump's administration is handling a hot topic issue.
Amid a flurry of health care and cost of living concerns, the GOP is now honing in on growing concerns over artificial intelligence. How the Trump administration has aligned itself with the tech industry is a worry to some Republican Party representatives, who believe the "growing pressure" of AI could affect the midterms next year.
Brad Littlejohn, a policy adviser at right-wing think tank American Compass, spoke with NOTUS and said the rise of artificial intelligence and subsequent backlash will be another benefit to Democratic Party candidates at next year's elections.
Littlejohn said, "I think the Democrats are going to score some wins off of AI backlash. And I think more Republicans are going to try to find their voice on the issue." GOP reps and strategists fell in line with Littlejohn and believe the Trump administration's close relationship with the AI industry could be a blow to their voter base.
Rep. Dana Trabulsy said, "There is growing pressure on state legislatures to step in. The reality is that innovation doesn’t pause, and neither do the risks."
"States are closest to the ground, closest to the schools, the businesses, the public sector systems that are already grappling with AI every single day. So the responsibility naturally shifts to us. The pressure is real. Not because states want to compete with Washington, but because doing nothing shouldn’t be an option."
The GOP appears to be split on how best to tackle the growing AI industry. One rep has suggested there are "privacy and safety concerns" that need urgently addressing.
Rep. Byron Donalds said, "I am not supportive of a blanket moratorium from the federal level in the U.S. I think there are privacy and safety concerns that should be addressed, and I think that states are uniquely positioned to do that."
Rep. Blake Moore, a Utah Republican, added, "We pay too much deference to the tech world and social media firms on letting them run rampant."
"We’re seeing social movements out there from parents who don’t want their kids having phones at that school and stuff like that. Why? That’s because they’re damaging to their overall development. We need to be making sure we’re doing the right thing for the next generation."
