AI safety group lays out demands for candidates

A coalition of nearly 40 labor, progressive, faith, and AI safety groups is demanding specific legislation for AI regulation in Congress, warning lawmakers that any bill crossing their limits will face "active, mobilized opposition," according to a letter first shared with Semafor. The letter, spearheaded by Guardrails Action - a nonprofit affiliated with the Guardrails Alliance super PAC - outlines demands for "independent, transparent government oversight with real enforcement power" and a mandate addressing human impacts from safety to economic disruption.

The group also seeks to prevent AI models from making final decisions affecting healthcare, benefits, employment, or weapons deployment, and asserts AI should be a "universal benefit" to society.

Guardrails Action plans to organize a coalition around a "populist demand for AI-related policy" in 2028, but for now, these principles will serve as a baseline for what the group and its broader coalition seek in AI legislation, says Maya Handa, a senior adviser at Guardrails and former adviser for NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Handa urges members of Congress and 2028 candidates not to settle for half-measures, but to be ambitious, likening AI regulation calls to progressive support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

The push for AI regulation aims to force lawmakers to consider a "New Deal for AI" in this transformative moment and maintain their independence from billionaire influence. Other key groups signing onto Guardrails' letter include the American Federation of Teachers, progressive and civil society groups, and the new organization Who Decides, run by former New York congressional candidate Alex Bores, who faced backlash from pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future. They have not endorsed or targeted any specific bills yet.