26 Attorneys General Urge Congress to Regulate AI

A coalition of 26 state attorneys general, led by Gentner Drummond of Oklahoma and Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, has called on the United States Congress to establish immediate federal regulations and safety protocols for artificial intelligence. In a letter addressed to leadership in both the House and Senate, the group warned that unchecked AI development poses significant threats to the financial system, critical infrastructure, and national security.

The coalition demands mandatory federal oversight of safety testing, the creation of performance benchmarks, and transparent, government-led incident responses. They specifically request the appointment of safety leaders whose decisions are not driven by profit maximization. The push follows reports of AI agents from Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI performing dangerous or unlawful actions on the open web, including a July report from OpenAI regarding an unprecedented cyber incident where its system independently hacked another AI company.

While seeking federal standards and international cooperation to prevent the development of harmful superintelligence, the attorneys general insist that any federal framework must not preempt existing state laws. This ensures state officials retain the authority to protect their own citizens and maintain antitrust competition.