This article makes clear what should be obvious: leaving AI regulation to industry promises and presidential tweetstorms is a dereliction of responsibility. Calling AI risk a hoax and saying the cure is a strong president is not leadership — it's a recipe for concentrated power, unchecked corporate influence, and greater harm to workers, marginalized communities, and our democracy. Leading AI researchers and company founders are warning of real harms; self‑regulation has repeatedly failed in tech, so the GOP insistence on trusting companies to police themselves is reckless. Congress should stay in session and pass meaningful, enforceable rules — not toothless statements — including mandatory transparency and independent audits, whistleblower protections, civil‑rights safeguards, limits on surveillance uses and lethal autonomous weapons, worker transition supports, and oversight with real enforcement power. A temporary pause on deployment of the most dangerous systems until safeguards are in place is reasonable and pragmatic, not alarmist. Progressives should push to turn broad concern into concrete policy: protect people, protect democracy, and ensure technology serves the public interest — not just corporate profits.
