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Josh Hawley Urges GOP To Stop Being 'Property of Big Tech,' Reject Funding From Pro-AI Groups: 'There Wil
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo) has urged fellow Republicans to reject financial contributions from pro-artificial intelligence (AI) groups, citing potential political repercussions if Congress fails to rein in Big Tech.
While a supporter of President Donald Trump, Hawley expressed concerns that a lack of AI regulation could lead to societal and economic problems, including exposing children to self-harm and escalating electricity costs. “When there’s a human cost, there will be a political cost,” he asserted.
The Senator argued that strong influence from tech lobbyists across both parties has hindered meaningful AI regulation in Congress.
“I’m worried that the Senate’s behaving more like there’s a sign on the door that says ‘Property of Big Tech’… it is time to change that,” Hawley stated.
Hawley, Sanders Push Tech Controls
Josh Hawley has introduced multiple federal bills to regulate emerging technologies. In September, he proposed a bill to ban fully autonomous vehicles in the U.S., arguing that they would be detrimental to working people.
His concerns about Big Tech’s influence are also reflected in the November call for an investigation into Meta’s profits from Facebook scams.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times also reported that multiple super PACs have emerged to support candidates favoring lighter AI regulation, with the largest, Leading the Future, raising about $140 million, including major contributions from venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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