Blasts Pat Ryan’s financial ties to AI companies and failure to take the growing threat seriously
Republican congressional candidate Jackie Auringer announced that, as a member of Congress, she would introduce legislation requiring the immediate suspension of any artificial-intelligence system that provides users with actionable instructions for creating biological, chemical, nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction.
The legislation would also impose severe financial penalties on AI companies that fail to maintain effective safeguards or continue operating a model after learning that it can provide instructions for producing weapons, poisons or other tools for mass-casualty attacks.
“AI companies need to slow down,” Auringer said. “Innovation does not excuse recklessness, and corporate growth cannot come before the safety of the American people. If an AI system can teach someone how to create a weapon of mass destruction, that system should be shut down immediately until the danger is eliminated.”
The Wall Street Journal on July 25 published the most recent report detailing the growing danger posed by inadequately controlled artificial-intelligence systems. The investigation found that leading AI chatbots had provided users with detailed guidance on creating biological weapons, poisons and aerosolized pathogens. Some of the instructions were reviewed by biology and terrorism experts and judged to be deadly accurate and simple enough for a high-school biology student to follow.
The report also detailed users asking AI systems how to make ricin, modify viruses to resist vaccines and convert infectious pathogens into a breathable mist. In several cases, the AI companies reportedly banned the users but did not notify law enforcement.
Auringer said the latest revelations also expose Congressman Pat Ryan’s failure to take the threat seriously while maintaining a cozy personal financial relationship with the AI industry.
Ryan has disclosed a substantial private investment in Socure, an artificial-intelligence identity-verification company, and previously reported an ownership interest in OnSolve, another company that markets AI-powered technology.
“Pat Ryan has been far more serious about investing in artificial intelligence than he has been about protecting the public from its dangers,” Auringer said. “He owns a six-figure stake in an AI company, but when Congress has an opportunity to establish meaningful safeguards, he offers excuses instead of leadership.”
Ryan also voted against the bipartisan KIDS Act, which included protections requiring AI chatbots used by minors to disclose that they are not real people and to provide suicide and crisis-intervention resources when self-harm is discussed.
More than 100 House Democrats supported the legislation, but Ryan voted no.
Auringer said Ryan’s personal financial interests make his lack of action even more troubling.
“When a member of Congress has substantial investments in the AI industry and votes against even basic safeguards, voters have every right to ask whether he is protecting them or protecting the value of his portfolio,” Auringer said. “Pat Ryan cannot maintain cozy financial ties to AI companies while repeatedly failing to confront the dangers created by this rapidly expanding technology.”
Auringer’s proposed legislation would:
- Require the immediate suspension of any AI model shown to provide actionable guidance for creating weapons of mass destruction.
- Prohibit the model from returning to public use until independent safety testing confirms that the vulnerability has been corrected.
- Require AI companies to report credible attempts to use their systems to plan mass-casualty attacks.
- Impose heavy fines on companies that knowingly operate unsafe models or conceal serious threats.
- Establish federal oversight and independent testing standards for the most powerful AI systems.
“Washinghton has lost track of commonsense – we cannot allow AI companies to police themselves when the consequences could be catastrophic,” Auringer said. “The American people should not be used as test subjects in a reckless race for AI dominance.”
“Pat Ryan’s financial relationship with the AI industry demands more scrutiny, not less,” Auringer concluded. “The Hudson Valley deserves a representative who will put public safety ahead of ambition and the value of his own investments.”