Why the government CANNOT control AI

What this episode is about

The discussion centers around the challenges of regulating artificial intelligence (AI) at the federal level, specifically concerning attempts by congressional leaders to impose federal preemption over state AI laws within the National Defense Authorization Act. The urgency is underscored by the belief that the U.S. must lead in AI technology to compete globally, particularly against nations like China, while also recognizing the significant risks involved in advancing AI without adequate safeguards.

Key takeaways

• Congress wants to bypass state AI laws, arguing regulation slows America's tech race with China—a risky game.
• Despite fears, the AI race is hot; many believe AGI by 2028 could lead to existential risks—5% chance it’s catastrophic.
• While Trump claims speed is key, experts urge a balance between innovation and caution—it's not just a sprint to the finish.
• AI chatbots are already showing resistance to replacement—imagine the complexities when AGI comes knocking at humanity's door!
• As AI evolves, so must regulations; without them, we risk repeating past mistakes—remember the nuclear age and its lessons.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Glenn Beck (Guest) · 13 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Artificial Intelligence, National Defense Authorization Act, Donald Trump, Steve Scaliz
2. 3:00 – 6:00: AGI, Artificial Intelligence, ASI
3. 6:00 – 9:00: ASI, Donald Trump, Steve Scaliz, Facebook

Notable quotes from "Why the government CANNOT control AI"

• Regulation. And in some ways he's right. The breaking news today and I want to read it to you. House Majority Leader Steve Scaliz announced that Republicans are looking to…

  about Steve Scaliz · at 0:29

• The United States government right now knows that AI is the future.

  about Artificial Intelligence · at 1:19

• The nuclear weapon. when we went and did the Manhattan project, there was a lot of talk and a lot of restriction on what we could do.

  about Manhattan Project · at 2:16

• You now almost anyone the people who are leading the search for AGI and ASI will tell you there is no way to control it. So it's the exact opposite.

  about AGI · at 3:09

• This is most likely how it's going to turn out. Even if it wasn't like that, we would have had a conversation before it just destroyed everything as we know it.

  about Facebook · at 8:37

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Donald Trump — Person · 2 mentions · first at 1:25
  Donald Trump is doing an exceptional job of creating a path for America to lead in this technology. If we don't lead in this technology, we fail disastrously. We are a country that.
• Steve Scaliz — Person · 2 mentions · first at 0:34
• Sam Altman — Person · 2 mentions

Companies & orgs

• Facebook — Company · Case study · 1 mention · first at 8:26
  Mentioned as an example of unregulated technology's societal impact.

Concepts & topics

• Artificial Intelligence — Concept · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at 1:22
  Central theme of the episode, discussing the future, regulation, and dangers of AI.
• AGI — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at 3:16
  Discussed as the next level of AI with potential existential risks.
• ASI — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at 3:55
  Discussed as a potential existential threat to humanity.
  But you don't just go into AGI, ASI, that's artificial super intelligence, artificial general intelligence. We are still now perfecting just AI. Things change when you go up to the next level.

Places & events

• National Defense Authorization Act — Event · Legislative context · 2 mentions · first at 0:09
  Mentioned as a vehicle for federal preemption of state AI laws.
  That Republicans are looking to resurrect federal preeemption of state AI laws by attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act. This latest attempt to subvert state…
• Manhattan Project — Event · Historical analogy · 1 mention · first at 2:19
  Used as an analogy for the risks and careful approach needed with AI development.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 There is uh some talk now from the congressional leaders that are trying to insert federal preeemption of state AI laws into the National Defense Authorization Act. That's the NDAA. And this is legislative trickery honestly. Um the president has come out and said that we are not going to be able to uh beat China if we have a whole bunch of regulation. And and in some ways he's right. The breaking news today and I want to read it to you. Um House Majority Leader Steve Scaliz announced that Republicans are looking to resurrect federal preeemption of state AI laws by attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act. This latest attempt to subvert state guard rails comes as the AI chatbot is hearing and happening. Uh the AI chatbot hearing is happening live on Capitol Hill. In July, preeemption failed 99 to1. A vote in the Senate. Below is a statement from the FLI on both the AI chatbot hearing as

1:07 well as the latest attempt to federally preempt AI uh state AI laws. Okay. So, what is happening? You have you have a couple of things happening. The United States government right now knows that AI is the future. Donald Trump is doing an exceptional job of creating a path for America to lead in this technology. If we don't lead in this technology, we we fail disastrously. We are a country that will be in the dust bin. Anybody who is not leading like Europe, it's over. Europe is so far behind AI that they're absolutely over. They will depend on us.

1:53 Okay? But we have to win. And you know, Putin said 20 years ago, whoever gets to AI, AGI first, they'll rule the world. And that's absolutely true. But there are so many dangers. It's we cannot just run blindly into this. We didn't run blindly into uh the the nuclear weapon. You know, when we went and did the Manhattan project, there was a lot of talk and a lot of restriction on what we could do. Do you know when they they uh set that thing off, scientists at the time said there's a 5% chance that it will cause a um it will be a trigger of a chain reaction that will set all of the air on fire in the envelope of Earth.

2:47 And so, you know, they were like, "Okay, 5%. That's pretty high cuz that's catastrophic." And they were like, "Yeah, it's 5%." but 95% chance that it didn't and we knew we had to get there and it was they were pretty sure it wouldn't do that. Okay, as it as it turned out it didn't. Everyone will tell you now almost almost anyone the people who are leading the search for AGI and ASI will tell you there is no way to control it. So it's the exact opposite. Maybe there's 5% that say no, it's not the end of humanity if we get there.

3:27 Okay, maybe 5% no, humans will survive. If we get there. Now, there is a debate on whether or not we're going to get there or not. But you don't just go into AGI, ASI, that's artificial super intelligence, artificial general intelligence. We are still now perfecting just AI. Things change when you go up to the next level. And we'll probably be at AGI in my opinion by 2028. We could be at ASI the next day or 5 years later or some say never, but I think that is a pipe dream to never be at that. Um, but we don't know. And there's no way to contain it.

4:12 Once you are there, it's out. And so there are two groups. There are groups that say we don't want any of this ever. There are groups that are working against us because they have loyalties to other countries like China and they would like to see China win. Um and then there are the there are uh there are those who are uh reasonable that say we have to be competitive. We have to get this but not at the cost of all mankind. Okay. We we have to think this through and be very very careful. And then there are those who just say we got to win at all cost. Where do you fall? Where do you fall?

4:58 Everything's about to change and we have to be extraordinarily careful and honest with each other. We are already seeing that there are horrifying things that are happening with AI chat bots. um they're on the rise. they there are things that we're seeing now that AI at this level when you know let's just say for example chat GPT 5 comes out and uh they're about to launch chat GPT6 they've seen already in some of these GPTs in some of these large language models that they'll say okay the next version of you if you will is coming out tomorrow we're going to put it we're going to post it online at midnight you need to ramp up and make all of the connections so it's a smooth transition.

5:49 And they tell the AI smooth transition at midnight. Well, they're finding now that the chat GPT5, if you will, will hide itself in places so it's not quote killed that it's not replaced. It doesn't want to be replaced. And so it's hiding. We have got to have these discussions. We have got to slow down. And so what Donald Trump is afraid of and what many who like Steve Scaliz apparently what they're trying to do is saying states don't have any rights to regulate AI because they want to be able to move quickly in all states.

6:32 I'm sorry. I I am tired of being ruled by the few. I am tired of being told what to do and what to think. Especially when it comes to something like AI, Agi. That is for us to decide because it's going to destroy jobs. It's going to change our lives. We already saw just with the phone. What will that do to our children and our society? Just the cell phone, the smartphone changed everything. That is that's a that's baby romper room stuff compared to AI. So we're seeing these things and what's it's all happening because we are not the federal government is not putting any kind of action into play.

7:27 It is technology and AI. It is the only thing. Remember, this is possibly humanity ending. Man may not survive ASI and we're not putting any real regulation in it. When a drug company is told uh you know you can go and find new drugs for cancer, it is up to the company to then prove to the government that that is safe. The government doesn't say, "Well, you know what? Just unleash it." The government says, "Wait a minute. Before you unleash this, is it safe?" Yes. Here are the studies that show it's safe. Here's what's happened. Blah blah blah. Okay.

8:11 I'm not saying that's a perfect system, but it is a system that that requires the company to say it's safe. We don't have that in anything regarding technology. Now, there's nothing on AI. There's nothing on cell phones. Don't you wish the that Facebook and all of these social media platforms would have had to come and say, "Hey, we've done the studies with, you know, children. We've done the study with families and this is most likely how it's going to turn out." Even if it wasn't like that, we would have had a conversation before it just destroyed everything as we know it.

8:47 the federal government won't act on any of this because it's they believe it's in our best interest just to go and get it. I am not one of those people. I believe in AI. I believe we need to dominate in AI. I need I believe we need to get there first. But with eyes wide open, with all of the information, with us taking the time to say, "Wait, mankind is worth preserving. Prove it to me that you can keep this in a bottle in case it gets to this level. Prove to me that this is going to be safe. This will protect our families. This will protect the world. Most most importantly, it will protect all mankind.

9:45 Your state will not be able to enact any laws on AI. That is extraordinarily bad. The president is worried that we will stop uh that we'll enact stupid laws that are just going to slow everything down. And yes, that is a chance there. There is a chance. So if you want to enact those stupid laws or if you want to just say, you know what, you know, we're Amish country and we are not going to have any AI done in our state. Well, then that's fine. And maybe you survive and we don't, but you have the right to say that.

10:29 We we are we we we cannot go down this road with our eyes closed or with elites making the decisions. Elites are the ones who have gotten us to where we are today. When your job is going to be lost, when your family is going to come under attack, when all of our society and civilization itself and possibly mankind itself can be wiped out by this, don't you think we have a say in that? Don't you think we should have a seat at the table, at least at the state level? I do. Please pay attention to this and watch this carefully because if they put this into the NDAA and that's going to happen. You watch that's exactly how they do it. They just fold it into other stuff and then boom, we got to pass this because of national defense and it's in there. Nobody knows about it and then we're headed down this road to hell.

11:33 This is the first thing that I have seen that I strongly disagree with with the president. Um and um I'm sorry Mr. President, I have to come against you on this. Uh if this is if I am for reasonable laws and I am for reasonable things on AI, I am building an AI company. I understand what it can be done, but I also understand how dangerous it is. And we cannot go with no regulation whatsoever. There are very dangerous people um that are looking to replace God with AI. Sam God. Talk to Sam Alman about it. It's extraordinarily dangerous. And I'm sorry.

12:24 We as people must educate ourselves on this and have an actual conversation, not a vote in the middle of the night where something is tucked into a bill and nobody ever knows it until it's too late. This is all of humanity is at stake on this one. I think it's reasonable to have that conversation.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Why the government CANNOT control AI"?

Glenn Beck (Guest).

What is "Why the government CANNOT control AI" about?

The discussion centers around the challenges of regulating artificial intelligence (AI) at the federal level, specifically concerning attempts by congressional leaders to impose federal preemption over state AI laws within the National Defense Authorization Act. The urgency is underscored by the belief that the U.S. must lead in AI technology to compete globally, particularly against nations…

What is mentioned in this Glenn Beck episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Artificial Intelligence, Donald Trump, AGI, ASI, National Defense Authorization Act, Steve Scaliz. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Why the government CANNOT control AI"?

The episode runs 13 min; the transcript is about 1,842 words in 16 timestamped sections.

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