Ted Cruz Says U.S. Can’t Slow AI Growth: ‘I’d Rather They Be American Killer Robots!’
Screenshot via @politico on X
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued that slowing the growth of artificial intelligence in the U.S. would be an “impossible endeavor,” declaring that if AI produces “killer robots,” he’d “rather they be American killer robots!”
His comments, in a snippet of an interview by Politico’s Dasha Burns that’s set to be released on Friday, come just days after former Anthropic AI researcher Jacob Coxon quit the company and issued a dire warning about the technology’s rapid development. Coxon, who also worked at OpenAI, accused both companies of racing toward “self-improving superintelligence” and “gambling with our lives,” warning that those building AI believe it could “kill us all by the end of the decade.”
After Burns noted that a “bipartisan cohort of voices” continues to press to “slow this thing down,” Cruz responded, “Here’s the problem — we can’t. That is an impossible endeavor, because you know who’s not pausing? China.”
“So, if AI’s gonna kill us, it should be U.S. AI, not Chinese AI?” Burns clarified.
“Listen, I’ve actually joked — and this is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it’s not entirely — if there are going to be killer robots, I’d rather they be American killer robots and not Chinese killer robots,” the Texas senator disclosed.
“The Chinese are putting no guardrails. They’re going full speed ahead. Most tech leaders estimate the United States is about six months ahead,” he continued. “We could have government step in and just shut down the AI industry in America, and you know what would happen? China would catch up in six months, and soar ahead, and we wouldn’t have the tools to defend ourselves.”
When asked if “Congress can keep up with the pace” of the industry, Cruz said, “It would be a terrible outcome if we stifle U.S. innovation, and China pulls ahead. That would be dangerous for Americans.”
At the same time, though, he stressed the importance of regulations: “If there are things that have real risks of catastrophic damage, there needs to be rules and guardrails.”
“Listen, I read that same thread from that Anthropic engineer, and that was scary as hell,” the senator acknowledged.
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