Sen. Adam Schiff calls Trump’s voluntary AI pledge “meaningless”

In short: Senator Adam Schiff said the Trump administration’s voluntary AI safety pledge does not amount to real oversight, and he argued for enforceable rules and a dedicated AI regulator.

What happened

Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, spoke on The Verge’s Decoder podcast about how the US should handle AI rules. Schiff sits on Senate committees that oversee technology, including intellectual property (copyrights and patents), privacy, and competition.

Schiff criticized President Trump’s recent White House event where AI company leaders signed a non-binding promise to evaluate their own AI systems. Schiff said voluntary promises are “meaningless,” because there is no penalty if a company ignores them. He also argued that AI raises serious national security concerns, including the risk of AI being used in cyberattacks and in military systems.

Schiff said Congress is moving too slowly to keep up with fast-changing AI. He suggested the US may need a new expert agency to regulate AI, similar to how the FDA oversees medicines (an expert referee that can set and enforce rules). He also warned that recent Supreme Court decisions could make it easier for companies to challenge new regulations in court, which could slow down enforcement.

Why it matters

Many people already interact with AI through chatbots, photo tools, and automated customer service. If the rules are only “pinky promises,” the public has to trust companies to police themselves, even when mistakes could affect jobs, privacy, or security. Schiff’s comments point to a bigger question for the next Congress: whether the US will create enforceable AI rules, or keep relying on voluntary agreements.

Source: The Verge AI