Politicians and public officials

Josh Hawley

U.S. senator from Missouri; sponsor of the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act

3 records

Portrait source: Office of Senator Josh Hawley, Public domain

Records

Let me be blunt. Left to itself, artificial intelligence will not choose moral liberty. It will choose the appetite. It will gather power into the fewest hands the world has ever seen and call the result progress. That is the rule of the strong over the weak. That is the dissolution of the covenant. And it is the oldest temptation in the human story, dressed now in silicon. So we must choose.

Josh Hawley

U.S. senator from Missouri; sponsor of the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act

In a keynote address to the American Compass New World Gala, released by his office on June 4, 2026, Hawley said that artificial intelligence left to itself will not choose moral liberty, that it will choose the appetite, and that it will gather power into the fewest hands the world has ever seen.

U.S. Senator from MissouriPublished June 4, 2026 · date of remarks not establishedAmerican Compass New World Gala keynote address

Source

Context and checks

Surrounding words

They are questions of labor and the family, of freedom and the value of human life. They are fundamental questions of identity—our identity; they are questions about the nature of this republic given to us by God.” He continued, “Let me be blunt. Left to itself, artificial intelligence will not choose moral liberty. It will choose the appetite. It will gather power into the fewest hands the world has ever seen and call the result progress. That is the rule of the strong over the weak. That is the dissolution of the covenant. And it is the oldest temptation in the human story, dressed now in silicon. So we must choose. And here is the heart of what I have come to say tonight: in deciding how to govern this technology, we are not merely writing policy. We are renewing—or surrendering—the moral basis of our life together. The covenant does not keep itself.

What this quote does not say

The passage describes political and moral loss of control, not a technical claim that an autonomous AI system will seize control.
The official page presents selected quoted remarks rather than a separately downloadable written speech.

How this was checked

Quote matched character-for-character against the captured page.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check

As Big Tech companies continue to develop new generations of artificial intelligence, the wide-ranging risks of their technology continue to grow unchecked and underreported. Simply stated, Congress must not allow our national security, civil liberties, and labor protections to take a back seat to AI.

Exact quote, beginning

Josh Hawley

U.S. senator from Missouri; sponsor of the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act

Announcing the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act on September 29, 2025, Hawley said the risks of new generations of AI continue to grow unchecked and underreported, and that the bipartisan bill he introduced with Senator Blumenthal would require testing and oversight of the most advanced AI systems.

U.S. Senator from MissouriSeptember 29, 2025Statement announcing the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act of 2025

Source Archived

Context and checks

Surrounding words

The program would ensure real transparency by requiring developers of advanced AI systems to submit product information to the DOE before deploying their new technology. “As Big Tech companies continue to develop new generations of artificial intelligence, the wide-ranging risks of their technology continue to grow unchecked and underreported. Simply stated, Congress must not allow our national security, civil liberties, and labor protections to take a back seat to AI. This bipartisan legislation would guarantee common-sense testing and oversight of the most advanced AI systems, so Congress and the American people can be better informed about potential risks,” said Senator Hawley. “AI companies have rushed to market with products that are unsafe for the public and often lack basic due diligence and testing.

What this quote does not say

The exact quotation names broad risk domains but not loss-of-control or existential risk. The same release describes the proposed program as collecting data on 'loss-of-control scenarios and weaponization by adversaries', but that is the release's description of the bill, not Hawley's quoted words.
The official release identifies Richard Blumenthal as D-Ill., an apparent office-page error; Blumenthal is the senator from Connecticut.

How this was checked

Quote matched character-for-character against the captured page.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check

As people debate the moral valence of artificial intelligence, many are asking the wrong questions. AI is not inherently a blessing or a curse; it is a tool that can be used for good or for ill. This means that whether the technology improves the lives of working people or not depends on the choices we make now.

Josh Hawley

U.S. senator from Missouri; sponsor of the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act

In a June 2026 op-ed, Hawley wrote that AI is not inherently a blessing or a curse but a tool that can be used for good or for ill, and that whether it improves the lives of working people depends on the choices made now.

U.S. Senator from MissouriPublished June 9, 2026 · date of remarks not establishedJosh Hawley op-ed reprinted from The Free Press

Source Archived

Context and checks

Surrounding words

A few weeks later, voters provided their own answer. They threw out every single incumbent council member up for reelection. As people debate the moral valence of artificial intelligence, many are asking the wrong questions. AI is not inherently a blessing or a curse; it is a tool that can be used for good or for ill. This means that whether the technology improves the lives of working people or not depends on the choices we make now. We cannot afford to leave those choices to the venture capitalists and the engineers in Palo Alto.

What this quote does not say

This is a qualification and narrower framing, not a reversal of Hawley's power-concentration, labor, child-safety, or governance concerns.
The statement does not say AI risks are exaggerated or non-existential.

How this was checked

Quote matched character-for-character against the captured page.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check