This shift has been driven by a couple of key factors. First, Anthropic announced its Mythos model, which has proved extremely adept at exposing software vulnerabilities, leading cybersecurity experts to argue that cutting-edge models need to be controlled.
Second, waves of recent polling have shown that Americans, including conservatives, remain very negative on AI and its potential impacts on jobs, information and education. Last week, the Institute for Family Studies and YouGov released a poll showing that American voters support the idea of the White House vetting AI systems for safety by a margin of 20 to 1. As the midterms approach, the “let them cook” philosophy to AI could become increasingly untenable.
“If we don’t develop good policies on this and a good message on these issues, we’re going to be on the wrong side of this politically,” Steinhauser says. “We’re already facing headwinds as Republicans, and so we can’t give the Democrats another opportunity here.”