Trump thinks AI firms can self-police. Long Island's congressional delegation has thoughts on that.

WASHINGTON — Amid warnings from whistleblowers over AI technology having the potential to cause major upheaval if left unchecked, there is consensus among Long Island’s congressional delegation about the need for federal regulation as industry leaders and President Donald Trump call for a more hands-off approach.

Trump earlier this month convened the nation’s top artificial intelligence developers at the White House, including the heads of Anthropic, Google, Meta and Open AI, where he told reporters the companies should be able to "self-police" without federal oversight.

"They understand that they have to self-police," Trump told reporters outside the West Wing on Oct. 1, after six AI industry leaders signed a voluntary agreement to set up more internal checks including more audits to flag instances of AI models acting autonomously or delivering dangerous action plans.

The White House AI summit came on the heels of a steady drip of high-profile incidents and warnings about the technology, including reports of research models going rogue and inserting language that would allow the AI platform to operate without human prompting. This could include scouring scores of economic data or satellite imagery. 

For Long Island's congressional delegation, the debate over AI regulation comes down to striking a balance between developing models that can bolster the nation's cyber defenses while not limiting innovation that could give China an advantage in the race to develop the most powerful models. Local lawmakers have co-sponsored and supported a number of proposals ranging from banning the use of Chinese-developed AI models to providing more funding for AI training by federal agencies, but Congress has yet to pass a sweeping piece of regulatory legislation.  

Seizing control

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he has seen firsthand the potential dangers of an AI system left unchecked.

Garbarino in a phone interview recalled attending a briefing with Department of Homeland Security officials where he was shown a model of a so-called "jailbroken" or hack AI system operating without any guardrails.

"I asked it how to kidnap a member of Congress, and it gave me a list, it gave me a plan on how to kidnap a member of Congress," Garbarino said. "There absolutely has to be guardrails. There has to be regulations."

But Garbarino said AI is an essential tool as foreign adversaries turn to attacks on U.S. infrastructure and businesses. For AI to succeed on that front, Garbarino said he believes there has to be buy-in from other world economic powers to ensure AI platforms have consistent safety protocols across borders, as China continues to develop its own platforms with little restrictions.

"AI has allowed us to find holes in systems that we never would have been able to, but there's got to be that human involvement," Garbarino said.

Democrat Pat Halpin, a former Suffolk County executive from Oak Beach running against Garbarino for New York's 2nd Congressional District seat, told Newsday in a statement: "New York State set the national standard for AI regulation with the RAISE Act," referring to the bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in March that requires AI companies to report any incidents of dangerous actions by an AI model to the state within 72 hours of it occurring.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), who has co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that would block any Chinese-developed AI models from being used by the federal government, said he supports Congress considering regulations not covered by existing laws that hold companies liable for damages caused by their products.

"While products liability law already covers many aspects of AI, Congress should consider regulations that account for any blind spots," LaLota said in an email to Newsday. 

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said there is bipartisan will among lawmakers to establish some safeguards on the industry "to protect consumers, workers, and national security while staying competitive with China and keeping America at the forefront of innovation."

"The answer to the AI question is not ‘hands off, do nothing,’ nor is it ‘shut it all down,'" Suozzi said in an email to Newsday.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) has co-sponsored a number of bipartisan bills related to AI including a measure that would require federal agencies to create a plan to protect the nation’s financial markets and infrastructure from foreign AI threats.

"Congress must enact smart, forward-looking regulations that protect the American people and preserve America's global leadership in innovation," Gillen said in a statement to Newsday.

Republican Jeanine Driscoll, the current Hempstead Town tax receiver challenging Gillen for the 4th Congressional District seat, said in a statement to Newsday that if elected, she "will support a balanced approach that ensures the United States continues to lead the global AI race, while providing appropriate federal oversight to protect American citizens."

Democrat Chris Gallant of Amity Harbor, who is running against LaLota for the 1st Congressional District seat, called for congressional action, citing the recent concerns raised by whistleblowers.

"When the people closest to this transformative technology say it could wipe out humans, that’s as loud a siren as possible that we need to take an active role in determining our future by establishing guardrails," Gallant said in a statement to Newsday.

Republican Mike LiPetri, who is running against Suozzi for the 3rd Congressional District seat, did not return Newsday's request for comment.

Diverging on AI 

There are a number of bipartisan proposals circulating among lawmakers about AI regulation, but the degree of oversight is where both parties appear to differ.

Republicans, for instance, contend overregulation would stymie the ability of U.S.-based companies to compete with China while Democrats maintain serious guardrails are essential to keep the technology from emerging into a destructive tool.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), speaking to reporters on Sept. 15, said AI firms "don't need the government to tell them to slow it down. If they want to slow it down, they should, but we cannot have a moratorium on the development of AI, OK? Because then we will lose our edge to China and that has serious national security implications."

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters last month the issue "requires decisive congressional action immediately in a manner consistent with what some of the leading AI voices in the country are now saying needs to happen as it relates to slowing things down to protect the health, the safety and the well-being of the American people."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently called on the Trump administration to provide Congress with a briefing about the potential dangers of AI, calling this period "a consequential moment."

"I have long argued that we must keep the U.S. as the global leader in AI innovation and security. But that innovation must be coupled with serious guardrails that earn the trust of the American public," Schumer said in a statement. "Warning bells are ringing louder than they ever have — and the Trump administration is looking the other way. Well, if they won’t hold themselves accountable, we will. And if Trump does not act, Congress must."

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.