Politicians and public officials

Richard Blumenthal

U.S. senator from Connecticut

3 records

Portrait source: U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine, Public domain

Records

The idea that AGI might in 10 or 20 years be smarter, or at least as smart as a human being, is no longer that far out in the future. It is very far from science fiction. It is here and now. One to three years has been the latest prediction, in fact, before this Committee.

Exact quote, beginning

Richard Blumenthal

U.S. senator from Connecticut

At a September 2024 Senate hearing, Richard Blumenthal said human-level AI could deceive and manipulate people and act independently in cyber, nuclear, or battlefield warfare.

U.S. Senator for Connecticut and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the LawSeptember 17, 2024Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, Oversight of AI: Insiders’ Perspectives

Source Archived

Context and checks

Surrounding words

And now, artificial general intelligence or AGI, which I know our witnesses are going to address today, provides even more frightening prospects for harm. The idea that AGI might in 10 or 20 years be smarter, or at least as smart as a human being, is no longer that far out in the future. It is very far from science fiction. It is here and now. One to three years has been the latest prediction, in fact, before this Committee. And we know that artificial intelligence that is as smart as human beings is also capable of deceiving us, manipulating us, and concealing facts from us, and having a mind of its own when it comes to warfare, whether it is cyber war or nuclear war or simply war on the ground in the battlefield. So we have no time to lose to make sure that those horses are still in the barn.

What this quote does not say

The one-to-three-year forecast is explicitly described as a prediction presented before the committee, not as Blumenthal's own estimate.
The phrase 'having a mind of its own' is Blumenthal's wording but does not specify a technical loss-of-control mechanism.

How this was checked

Quote located in the captured page; spacing normalised for display.

Reviewed by

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

“AI companies have rushed to market with products that are unsafe for the public and often lack basic due diligence and testing. Our legislation would ensure that a federal entity is on the lookout, scrutinizing these AI models for threats to infrastructure, labor markets, and civil liberties—conducting vital research and providing the public with the information necessary to benefit from AI promises, while avoiding many of its pitfalls,”

Richard Blumenthal

U.S. senator from Connecticut

In a September 2025 bill announcement, Richard Blumenthal said AI companies were releasing unsafe products without enough testing and endorsed federal review of advanced systems for threats to infrastructure, jobs, and civil liberties.

U.S. SenatorSeptember 29, 2025Official joint bill announcement for the Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act of 2025

Source Archived

Context and checks

Surrounding words

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. Our legislation would ensure that a federal entity is on the lookout, scrutinizing these AI models for threats to infrastructure, labor markets, and civil liberties—conducting vital research and providing the public with the information necessary to benefit from AI promises, while avoiding many of its pitfalls,” The Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act would: - Establish an “Advanced Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Program” within the DOE to evaluate advanced AI systems and collect data on the likelihood of

What this quote does not say

The press release's D-Ill. label is an evident state-abbreviation error and is preserved in context rather than silently corrected.
The draft bill has placeholders instead of an assigned bill number in the opened asset.

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

“AI has tremendous promise but also huge pitfalls. The dangers need to be addressed, because if not, the promise will be outdone by the pitfalls. And so, we are working on a bipartisan basis in the Congress to develop standards and approaches, remedies and rights, that will give people control over their data and protect privacy and creation of new works,”

Richard Blumenthal

U.S. senator from Connecticut

In an August 2025 Senate office update, Richard Blumenthal said AI has promise and pitfalls and that Congress was working on bipartisan standards and rights to protect personal data, privacy, and creative work.

U.S. Senator for ConnecticutPublished August 8, 2025 · date of remarks not establishedOfficial Senate office weekly review, section 'Demanding Guardrails for Artificial Intelligence'

Source

Context and checks

Surrounding words

As advances in AI move at a breathtaking speed, consumers need assurances that their data and intellectual property will be safeguarded. Blumenthal’s bill provides serious safeguards and accountabilities for bad actors who use AI. “AI has tremendous promise but also huge pitfalls. The dangers need to be addressed, because if not, the promise will be outdone by the pitfalls. And so, we are working on a bipartisan basis in the Congress to develop standards and approaches, remedies and rights, that will give people control over their data and protect privacy and creation of new works,” Blumenthal further highlighted the need for his legislation bolstering safeguards against the harmful misuse of AI on Twitter/X. “AI has promise but also huge pitfalls.

What this quote does not say

This balances benefits and harms but does not retract, contradict, or reduce the earlier AGI warning.
The exact date and venue of the underlying spoken announcement are not stated on the weekly-review page.

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