Silicon Valley faces Democratic reckoning after betting on Trump
SAN FRANCISCO: Silicon Valley bosses who spent two years cosying up to US President Donald Trump now face a Democratic Congress already threatening subpoenas, after midterm elections in which antipathy towards artificial intelligence swayed voters.
Silicon Valley's allegiance to former US President Donald Trump has come under scrutiny as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress following the midterm elections. Under pressure from voters concerned about artificial intelligence, AI company CEOs may be called to testify under oath by the new Democratic leaders. Greg Casar, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has called for this, while Senator Ed Markey has warned that subpoenas will require the creation of new forests for printing.
This comes after Trump received significant financial support from Silicon Valley titans, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Once Democrats control both chambers of Congress, they will be able to compel executives to testify or hand over documents. Former Michigan Senator Abdul El-Sayed has called for a full pause in the development of advanced AI systems and a treaty between the US and China to ban superintelligence.
However, the Republican side is also criticizing Silicon Valley, with some arguing that voters are likely to reward the party that holds Big Tech accountable.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
