Scott Wiener, the newly elected representative for Nancy Pelosi's former San Francisco congressional seat, intends to focus on federal artificial intelligence policy. After winning a tight race, Wiener expressed concern regarding the speed of AI advancement, specifically citing a recent report from the nonprofit METR regarding potential recursive self-improvement in models developed by Anthropic.
Wiener has previously authored significant AI legislation in California, including SB 1047, which was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, and SB 53, which was signed into law. His legislative work has served as a template for various proposed federal laws. He expressed interest in serving on a potential congressional select committee on artificial intelligence and supports the creation of a strong, nimble federal regulator, a concept previously proposed by Representative Ro Khanna.
Proposed policy priorities for Wiener include whistleblower protections, mandatory testing and auditing requirements, and the implementation of kill switches for advanced systems. He also advocated for maintaining state-level authority to regulate AI, arguing against federal preemption that would prevent states from acting as "laboratories" for new laws.
Wiener addressed criticisms regarding his campaign funding, which included over $3 million from Public First Action, a nonprofit supported by Anthropic. While opponents suggested the funding indicated he was too close to the AI industry, Wiener stated the support was based on his history of introducing and implementing AI regulations against the objections of Big Tech.
“We need to slow this down,” Wiener said. “Because it’s moving very quickly, and we could sleepwalk into a disaster.”
