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Harris backs AI slowdown amid growing safety fears

Kamala Harris joined calls to slow down the pace of artificial intelligence development, warning Monday that the technology could “escape human control” without stronger safeguards.

4 min readRead the original reporting
Source-page capture accompanying Harris backs AI slowdown amid growing safety fears
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politico.com
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politico.comhttps://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/14/harris-backs-ai-slowdown-amid-growing-safety-fears-01075746
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Reporting by a news outlet — not a first-party document.

What we could not confirm independently: This claim is attributed to the named outlet. We did not verify it against a first-party document. (politico.com)

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Key terms

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The broad field of building systems that perform tasks requiring pattern recognition, reasoning, language, or decision-making.
AI Safety
A field focused on reducing harmful behavior, failures, and misuse risks in AI systems.
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What happened

Kamala Harris, the former Vice President, has joined calls to slow down the pace of artificial intelligence development. She warned that the technology could “escape human control” without stronger safeguards. Harris urged Congress to create a new federal entity charged with overseeing and independently testing advanced AI systems. She also called on President Donald Trump to pursue an international agreement with countries including China to restrict dangerous uses of the technology, limit its development speed, and adopt global testing standards.

Harris' statement comes after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on AI companies to slow the development of their most advanced models. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk subsequently backed the push, marking a rare point of agreement among leaders of rival AI companies.

Harris is the latest prominent Democrat to speak out about the technology in the wake of the AI leaders' calls. Former President Barack Obama warned Thursday in a closed-door fundraiser that the technology is at an inflection point and urged Democrats to more aggressively focus on an AI agenda.

Harris, meanwhile, urged Congress to create a new federal entity charged with overseeing and independently testing advanced AI systems. She also called on President Donald Trump to pursue an international agreement with countries including China to restrict dangerous uses of the technology, limit its development speed, and adopt global testing standards.

Source details: politico.com

Why it matters

The development of artificial intelligence is advancing at an alarming speed, and Harris' call for a slowdown is a significant development in the ongoing debate about AI safety. The technology has the potential to bring about significant benefits, but it also poses risks to human safety and control. Harris' proposal for a federal oversight body and international agreement is a step towards addressing these risks and ensuring that AI is developed in a responsible and safe manner.

The development of artificial intelligence is advancing at an alarming speed, and Harris' call for a slowdown is a significant development in the ongoing debate about AI safety.

The technology has the potential to bring about significant benefits, but it also poses risks to human safety and control.

Harris' proposal for a federal oversight body and international agreement is a step towards addressing these risks and ensuring that AI is developed in a responsible and safe manner.

What to watch next

The impact of Harris' proposal on the development of AI and the response of the tech industry to her call for a slowdown. The potential consequences of AI escaping human control and the measures that can be taken to prevent this from happening.

The impact of Harris' proposal on the development of AI and the response of the tech industry to her call for a slowdown.

The potential consequences of AI escaping human control and the measures that can be taken to prevent this from happening.

The role of international cooperation in addressing the risks associated with AI and the potential for global standards to be established.

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