Who?

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — former Senate GOP Whip; running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as GOP Leader

“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 & Cornyn

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Sen. John Cornyn

Matt 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

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