Arms race

California State Senator Scott Wiener responded to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's essay "We Must Pace the Future," which called for government intervention to slow AI development until adequate safeguards exist. Wiener said AI labs bear responsibility but argued that government inaction allows an unchecked "AI arms race" to continue.

Wiener also pushed back on President Donald Trump's remarks dismissing AI safety concerns as "things that won't happen," with Trump emphasizing U.S. leadership over China and declaring "whoever wins with AI, wins." Wiener countered that federal policy is needed to ensure AI benefits humanity while also fostering collaboration with China to manage shared risks. Wiener, currently campaigning for California's 11th Congressional District seat against Connie Chan and Saikat Chakrabarti to succeed Nancy Pelosi, has been a prominent voice in state-level AI regulation debates.