Politicians and public officials

Valerie Foushee

U.S. representative from North Carolina

3 records

Portrait source: House Creative Services, Public domain

Records

I firmly object to any effort by the Administration to strong-arm AI companies into enabling mass surveillance or developing weapons that operate without meaningful human control. These uses threaten civil liberties and human rights at home and around the world, and they raise profound moral and constitutional concerns.

Exact quote, beginning

Valerie Foushee

U.S. representative from North Carolina

In a 2026 statement, Valerie Foushee opposed government pressure on AI companies to enable mass surveillance or build weapons that operate without meaningful human control.

U.S. Representative from North Carolina and Co-Chair of the House Commission on AI and the Innovation EconomyFebruary 26, 2026Official statement on reported Pentagon pressure on Anthropic and changes to Anthropic safety commitments

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Surrounding words

Doing the right thing should not depend on who is in the White House. Congress is watching. “I firmly object to any effort by the Administration to strong-arm AI companies into enabling mass surveillance or developing weapons that operate without meaningful human control. These uses threaten civil liberties and human rights at home and around the world, and they raise profound moral and constitutional concerns. Targeting one of America’s leading AI companies because it refuses to abandon basic safety principles would also be strategically reckless and only strengthens China’s hand. “I urge Secretary Hegseth and the Department to withdraw any demands that would undermine established AI safety guardrails. The United States must lead in responsible AI, not in abandoning safeguards or automating life-and-death decisions.

What this quote does not say

The statement responds to reported government pressure and reported changes to one company's commitments; the underlying reports were not needed to attribute Foushee's policy position and were not independently evaluated here.
The passage objects to particular uses and pressure, not to autonomous technology in every context.

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The debate over AI risk management has an unfortunate tendency to become fixated on dramatic existential risks like the end of human civilization, which are based in speculation. Those risks are legitimate subjects for research inquiry, but they should not be elevated over concrete, tangible concerns in areas such as equity, bias, privacy, cybersecurity, and disinformation.

Valerie Foushee

U.S. representative from North Carolina

In a 2023 congressional hearing, Valerie Foushee called end-of-civilization AI risks speculative but legitimate to research, and said equity, bias, privacy, cybersecurity, and disinformation should take priority.

U.S. Representative from North Carolina and Ranking Member, House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and OversightOctober 18, 2023House Science, Space, and Technology joint subcommittee hearing, Balancing Knowledge and Governance: Foundations for Effective Risk Management of Artificial Intelligence

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And finally, as we race to keep up with the breakneck pace of AI research and the accompanying risk, our discussion must be centered around the real-world risks and safety concerns that arise from AI systems. The debate over AI risk management has an unfortunate tendency to become fixated on dramatic existential risks like the end of human civilization, which are based in speculation. Those risks are legitimate subjects for research inquiry, but they should not be elevated over concrete, tangible concerns in areas such as equity, bias, privacy, cybersecurity, and disinformation. These are the existing fact-based risks to real people in the real world, not distractions pulled from the world of science fiction, and they deserve to be prioritized in the AI Risk Management Framework to come.

What this quote does not say

Earlier in the same opening statement, Foushee said certain AI systems could pose grave risks without clear oversight; this later passage narrows her priorities rather than rejecting severe AI risk generally.
It is a prioritization and epistemic qualification, not a denial that existential risks could exist.

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At the same time, there is no escaping the reality that certain kinds of AI systems and their applications could pose grave risks in the absence of clear, rigorous oversight rooted in practical and ethical considerations.

Valerie Foushee

U.S. representative from North Carolina

In a 2023 congressional hearing, Valerie Foushee said certain AI systems could pose grave risks without clear, rigorous oversight.

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Surrounding words

I have met with these researchers. Their work is exciting, and their brilliance, ingenuity, and commitment to developing AI applications that serve the public good are second to none. At the same time, there is no escaping the reality that certain kinds of AI systems and their applications could pose grave risks in the absence of clear, rigorous oversight rooted in practical and ethical considerations. AI risk management is a complex subject that defies easy answers, but there are some guiding principles that should be at the front of our minds as we think about these issues.

What this quote does not say

The passage does not specify which AI systems, applications, or grave outcomes Foushee has in mind.
It is conditional on an absence of clear, rigorous oversight and does not estimate likelihood.

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