Lawmakers urge AI execs to stop doomer rhetoric amid backlash

Bipartisan U.S. lawmakers are privately and publicly urging artificial intelligence executives to cease public discussions of existential risk and digital sentience, according to sources close to the White House and Congress. Legislators argue that alternating between promises of prosperity and warnings of global catastrophe undermines regulatory stability and alienates the public. Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) stated the industry operates in a vacuum disconnected from everyday Americans, while Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) warned that billionaires cannot be trusted to prioritize public safety over technological advancement. Sources indicate Washington views current AI leadership as a political liability compared to traditional industry chiefs who focus solely on product development. This messaging whiplash reportedly complicates ongoing legislative efforts by transforming technical regulatory debates into moral panics. Lawmakers across both parties now prefer AI founders adopt standard corporate communication strategies centered on tangible benefits and safety compliance rather than philosophical speculation about machine consciousness or civilizational collapse.