China is our 'ADVERSARY' in the AI race: Senate AI Caucus co-chair

>> A SHORT TIME FROM NOW ON. CAPITOL HILL, SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS WILL HOST. A BRIEFING ON ARTIFICIAL. INTELLIGENCE WITH GUESTS. INCLUDING THE MAN KNOWN AS THE. QUOTE CAT GODFATHER OF AI, SANDERS IS INVITING ALL SENATORS. TO ATTEND TELLING THEM IT IS. TIME TO HAVE SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS. IN THE FACE OF STARK NEW. WARNINGS ABOUT THE RISKS OF AI.

I WANT TO BRING IN REPUBLICAN. SOUTH DAKOTA SENATOR MIKE. ROUNDS, THE CO-CHAIR OF THE. SENATE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. CAUCUS AND HE WILL JOIN ME HERE. IN WASHINGTON IN JUST A MOMENT. AND FIRST, LET'S CHECK IN WITH. CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL. CORRESPONDENT CHAD PERGRAM LIVE. OUTSIDE. HI, CHAD. >> Reporter: GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS IS THE FIRST HEARING ON. A.I., THE FIRST BRIEFING ON A.I. SINCE EVERYBODY STARTED TO FREAK. OUT ABOUT THIS A COUPLE DAYS AGO. AND IT'S BEING LED BY.

BERNIE SANDERS, THE INDEPENDENT. SENATOR FROM VERMONT, NOT THE. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP, THAT. IS NOTABLE AND BERNIE SANDERS. WANTS TO BAN SUPERINTELLIGENCE. >> WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT RIGHT. NOW IS THE LEAST CAPABLE VERSION. OF AI THAT WE WILL EVER HAVE. THE SPEED AND SCOPE OF AI. DEVELOPMENT IN JUST THE LAST. FOUR YEARS HAS BEEN ALMOST.

BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION. >> Reporter: SANDERS IS. BRINGING IN TOP AI RESEARCHERS. TO MEET WITH BIPARTISAN. SENATORS, MIKE JOHNSON IS. ADVOCATING FOR TECH COMPANIES TO. CONTROL THEIR OWN AI MODELS. HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT CONGRESS. ACTING TOO AGGRESSIVELY ON AI. >> IF BERNIE SANDERS IS IN. CHARGE OF THIS THING, WE SHOULD. SHUT IT ALL DOWN AND WE ARE. TOAST. WE WON'T TAKE STUPID KNEE JERK. REACTION PRESCRIPTIONS ON THIS. BUT WE WILL DO THIS RIGHT.

>> Reporter: MANY DEMOCRATS. SAY CONGRESS CAN'T PUT ON AI AND. THAT IT'S CRUCIAL LAWMAKERS GET. UP TO SPEED AND INTERVENE. >> NO MEMBER OF CONGRESS. ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS HOW. MOLECULES INTERACT WITH EACH. OTHER IN THE HUMAN BODY AND YET. CONGRESS REGULATES MEDICINE SO. CONGRESS HAS NOT ONLY THE. AUTHORITY BUT WE HAVE A. RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE LIFE. BETTER FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE. >> Reporter: THE HOUSE OF. REPRESENTATIVES IS GOING TO. LEAVE AND NOT COME BACK TO.

WASHINGTON UNTIL AFTER THE. MIDTERMS AND IN JUST A COUPLE. HOURS, THAT'S A DAY EARLY. MEANING THERE WON'T BE ANY. LEGISLATION ON AI. >> CHAD PERGRAM LIVE FOR US ON. THE HILL. THANK YOU. NOW LET'S BRING IN SOUTH DAKOTA. SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS, THE. CO-CHAIR OF THE SENATE. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAUCUS. AND SERVES ON THE APPROPRIATIONS. ARMED SERVICES AND INTELLIGENCE. COMMITTEE. ALL TOUCHING AI IN SOME WAY OR. ANOTHER. SENATOR, GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON.

THE PROGRAM. >> I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. TO TALK WITH YOU. >> YOU ARE GOING TO THIS MEETING. WITH BERNIE SANDERS TO TALK. ABOUT AI. THIS IS WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE. SAID SO FAR ABOUT AI AND THE. DIRE WARNING THAT IT MIGHT KILL. US. WATCH. >> THE WORLD WILL END IN 12. YEARS IF WE DON'T END CLIMATE. CHANGE, THIS IS WORLD WAR II. >> THIS IS OUR FINAL CHANCE THAT. WE HAVE NO MORE THAN 12 YEARS TO. TAKE INCREDIBLY BOLD ACTION ON.

THIS CRISIS. >> WE'VE GOT WHAT? 11 YEARS, MAYBE. TO REACH A POINT WHERE WE CUT. OUR EMISSIONS IN HALF, LIFE ON. EARTH IS AT RISK. >> WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THE. SURVIVAL OF THE PLANET EARTH. >> THAT WAS DEMOCRATS ON CLIMATE. CHANGE BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT. THEY ARE NOW SAYING ABOUT. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND IS. AI GOING TO KILL US, ARE THEY. RIGHT?

>> WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS. FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS AND. THERE'S A GROUP OF SENATORS, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE. THAT HAVE BEEN STUDYING THIS AND. WORKING ON LEGISLATION AND WE. STARTED OUT WITH NINE SEPARATE. INFORMATION SEMINARS ON A. BIPARTISAN BASIS IN SEPTEMBER OT. SOMETHING WHICH IS NEW. THE CONCERNS BEING EXPRESSED. RIGHT NOW IN SUCH SHRILL TONES, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THEM IN. VERY NORMAL TONES FOR THE LAST. COUPLE YEARS. WE'VE HAD LEGISLATION LAID OUT. IN WHICH WE CAN LAY OUT THE.

GUIDELINES FOR THE APPROPRIATE. USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. WHICH IS NOT BEING TOLD BY ANY. OF THESE FAR LEFT DEMOCRATS WHO. BY THE WAY ARE IN THE MIDST OF. BEING MUCH MORE IN CONTROL OF. WHAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE DOING. RIGHT NOW THAN WHAT MOST OF US. THINK. THERE IS A VERY SIMPLE APPROACH. TO THIS AND IT MEANS BRINGING. THE PLAYERS IN AND PUTTING. TOGETHER THE GUIDELINES IN WHICH. THEY MONITOR ONE ANOTHER THROUGH. SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THE. WAY WE DO RIGHT NOW FOR.

STANDARDS AND TESTING AND OTHER. PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES. >> WHAT IS GOING ON THOUGH? IT'S NOT JUST DEMOCRATS, CERTAIN. REPUBLICANS OUT THERE. WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHY THE. WARNINGS NOW? THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID THIS IS. ALL A HOAX AND ALL TRUMPED UP. THE AG YESTERDAY --. >> NO PUN INTENDED. >> THE AG YESTERDAY SAID. DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO. INFLUENCE THE ELECTION. >> IT'S MORE THAN THAT. IT'S LITERALLY COMING IN FROM. OVERSEAS. CHINA IS OUR ADVERSARY. CHINA AND RUSSIA BOTH HAVE VERY. GOOD WAYS OF MANIPULATING.

SOCIAL MEDIA. A LOT OF THE INFORMATION BEING. SPREAD BY SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW. IS BEING PROMPTED BY BOTH CHINA. AND RUSSIA AND THE REASON IS. THEY WANT US TO SLOW DOWN OUR. DEVELOPMENT OF AI WHILE THEY. CONTINUE TO TRY TO CATCH UP WITH. US. WE CAN MONITOR AND MAINTAIN. CONTROL OF ARTIFICIAL. INTELLIGENCE BUT WE HAVE TO BE. REASONABLE ABOUT IT. WE CANNOT ALLOW CHINA, AS THE. PRESIDENT HAS MADE VERY CLEAR, YOU CANNOT ALLOW CHINA TO CATCH. UPUP WITH US. WE COULD DO REALLY GOOD THINGS. FOR MANKIND BUT YOU DON'T HEAR.

ANY OF THAT BEING TALKED ABOUT. RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT'S BEING. DRIVEN BY SOCIAL MEDIA, THE VAST. MAJORITY OF WHICH IS COMING IN. FROM OVERSEAS. >> YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE. IS SOME SKEPTICISM OUT THERE. FROM PEOPLE WHO WONDER IF. CONGRESS CAN DO ANYTHING AT ALL. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SO MANY. MEMBERS DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO. USE AI OR AREN'T USING AI AND. DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IT. WORKS SO HOW CAN CONGRESS DO. ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? >> A GOOD EXAMPLE, WE PASSED. LEGISLATION WHICH HAS ALREADY.

COME OUT OF THE COMMITTEE, THE. ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE IN THE. SENATE WITH THREE SEPARATE. PROVISIONS THAT WE'VE INTRODUCED. THAT WILL GO INTO LAW THIS YEAR. AS WE PASS THE OTHER, I HAVE. OVER A DOZEN SEPARATE PIECES ON. A BIPARTISAN BASIS HELPING TO DO. THE SAME THING AND ARE PENDING.