On the first episode of “Scaling Laws,” co-hosts Kevin Frazier and Alan Rozenshtein discuss the recent defeat in the Senate of a proposed moratorium on state and local regulation of artificial intelligence. The episode features insights from Adam Thierer, a senior fellow at the R Street Institute, and Helen Toner, Director of Strategy and Foundational Research Grants at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).
The conversation covers the moratorium’s journey from its inclusion in a House bill to its ultimate failure. The speakers examine procedural hurdles, confusing legislative language, and political maneuvering that led to its defeat by a 99-to-1 vote.
The group also discusses the future of U.S. AI governance, addressing issues such as fragmentation within the Republican party on tech policy. They question whether Congress’s failure to act indicates it is broken or if it represents a deliberate policy choice.
