U.S. Senator Chris Murphy has joined Senator Bernie Sanders in calling for mandatory safety regulations for artificial intelligence development, arguing that voluntary guidelines are insufficient to govern the technology.

Murphy sounds warning on self-regulation

Murphy warned that rapidly advancing AI could pose major economic, national-security and societal risks. On Tuesday, he posted on X that the U.S. is "cooked" as an economy and culture if left to the industry to protect the public.

He stated that companies cannot be relied upon to protect the public because financial incentives drive them to race toward building powerful systems. Murphy cited concerns raised by former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who resigned after warning that AI labs were gambling with lives by racing toward self-improving systems.

The case for mandatory standards

Sanders' position marks a clear stance in the ongoing debate over how governments should regulate AI. The senator distinguishes between enforceable legal requirements and non-binding suggestions, advocating for the former.

Mandatory regulations would impose legally binding obligations on AI developers. Proponents argue that stakes ranging from public safety to national security warrant enforceable standards rather than industry self-governance.

Broader legislative push

Rep. Ro Khanna urged Congress to strengthen AI oversight and called for a federal AI agency, mandatory insurance and strict liability for harmful models. He said lawmakers cannot let tech executives make the rules.

George Clooney questioned whether governments had the expertise to regulate AI but warned that deepfakes could make it harder to distinguish facts from fabricated events.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized artificial intelligence executives on Tuesday, urging them to stop funding political efforts against lawmakers advocating for stricter AI regulations.

The senator argued that industry leaders warning about existential risks from the technology should not simultaneously spend hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat candidates supporting safety guardrails.

Political Spending vs Safety Rhetoric

Sanders directed his message specifically at AI chief executives, questioning their commitment to human safety given their political expenditures.

"My message to the AI CEO’s: If you truly care about the future of humanity, stop pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into super PACs to defeat Members of Congress and candidates who are fighting for serious guardrails on AI," Sanders said.

In an accompanying video, the senator labeled the behavior hypocritical and emphasized that executives concerned about AI safety should respect voters’ ability to determine regulatory frameworks.

Industry Leaders Back Slowdown Calls

The criticism follows recent statements from top AI figures calling for a measured pace in frontier AI development.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that increasingly capable AI agents could create significant cybersecurity risks, prompting calls for an industry-wide slowdown.

Other major tech leaders echoed these concerns:

• Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX) CEO Elon Musk endorsed Amodei’s position, writing "Dario is right." on X.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman agreed with the need to pace frontier development, backing independent evaluators with access to research processes.
• Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG, NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis stated the broad direction of Amodei’s proposal was appropriate, though details require further work.

Divergent Political Stances

President Donald Trump has taken a contrasting position, arguing that excessive regulation could weaken the U.S. lead over China in AI development. Trump dismissed fears of uncontrollable AI systems as "all a hoax."

Meanwhile, Chinese security officials have warned that AI creates risks involving misinformation, cyberattacks, espionage, and military competition.

Musk’s Election Spending

Elon Musk has been a significant financial backer of Trump’s political campaigns.

Musk spent nearly $250 million supporting Trump during the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. In August, reports indicated Musk planned to spend between $100 million and $120 million to support at least eight Republican candidates in the upcoming midterm elections through his super PAC, America PAC.