Sen. Cornyn on Schumer's AI forums: "I don’t think the scare tactics have been particularly useful"

Who?Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — former Senate GOP Whip; running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as GOP Leader Ask a Pol asked:“What was your takeaway from all those AI briefings and forums?”Clutch Cornyn: “I think there’s been a lot of hype,” Cornyn tells Ask a Pol. “I think it’s a good idea for us to understand it better, but I don’t think the scare tactics have been particularly useful.”Caught our ear: AI regulatory body? “There’s one guy, I think, former CEO of IBM, who said: ‘You can’t regulate what you don’t understand,’” Cornyn tells us. LISTEN: Laslo & CornynBelow find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. John CornynMatt Laslo: “What was your takeaway from all those AI briefings and forums?”John Cornyn: “Well, either it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, or it’s going to take over the world and destroy us. It’s one of the two.”Laslo laughs. ML: “But can’t it be both at the same time?” Laughs.JC: “Probably. I think there’s been a lot of hype. I think it’s a good idea for us to understand it better, but I don’t think the scare tactics have been particularly useful.”ML: “Yeah? And do you think — like some people call for an AI regulatory body, you think that’s going overboard?”JC: “I do. There’s one guy, I think, former CEO of IBM, who said: ‘You can’t regulate what you don’t understand.’”ML: “Yeah. There you go. Have a good one, sir!”Matt Laslo’s a veteran congressional correspondent, new media prof. & founder of Ask a Pol — a new, people-powered press corps.Ask a Pol — asking your lawmakers your questions at your US Capitol. @AskaPol_ai This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoluaps.com/subscribe