Lawmakers think they are smart enough to control AI

Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut

“Quotation compilations are filled with jabs at lawmakers, as deep thinkers complain about the cravenness, venality and opportunism of politicians. Journalist H.L. Mencken complained that a ‘good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.’ Napoleon Bonaparte quipped that ‘in politics stupidity is not a handicap.’ I’ve known good, honest and smart politicians. My main beef is their overall lack of humility. Not so much personal humility, but a sense of limits on what government can accomplish. … Do you suppose lawmakers will protect us from unforeseen ‘critical harms’ from an almost unknowingly complex technology in ways we have yet to fathom? The government sometimes is efficient in twisting new regulatory tools to abuse our rights, but rarely in service to our protection.” (09/13/24)

https://www.ocregister.com/2024/09/13/ill-informed-lawmakers-think-they-can-control-ai/