WATCH: AI safety scare sparks Cap Hill fight over guardrails: 'China's going to eat our lunch', tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-ai-safety-scare-sparks-cap-hill-fight-over-guardrails-chinas-going-eat-our-lunch)

This Fox News report focuses on the growing debate in the U.S. Congress over whether to regulate artificial intelligence, sparked by warnings from tech industry leaders and contrasted by concerns over competing with China.

Key Points of the Report:

• The Spark: Top figures and researchers from major AI labs (including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google) called for a slowdown or stronger safety guardrails in AI development, warning of severe risks.

• Trump’s Reaction: Former President Donald Trump dismissed the catastrophic AI safety warnings as a “hoax,” drawing sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers.

• Democratic Push for Guardrails: Lawmakers such as Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) argued that Washington must take the developers’ warnings seriously and introduce bipartisan guardrails and regulatory oversight rather than dismissing the risks.

• Republican Pushback and China Concerns: Republican lawmakers warned that pausing or over-regulating U.S. technology would give a critical advantage to foreign adversaries.

  • Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) made the headline remark: “China is the only one that benefits from the United States slowing down AI… If we stop now, China’s going to eat our lunch.” She also suggested that tech giants asking for slowdowns might be trying to corner the market and build regulatory moats.

  • Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) echoed that while sensible safety measures are needed, American AI development cannot afford to stall because “if we slow down, China will win.”

• Upcoming Diplomatic Context: The debate unfolded ahead of a high-profile summit in Washington between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where AI safety and technology competition were expected to be discussed, alongside attendance from major tech executives like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.