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Comment by Steve Fetter

Human avatar
Professor of public policy at the University of Maryland; member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board; former White House OSTP official
As uses of AI expand and concerns grow about potential risks, Trump revoked Biden's AI safety initiative and banned states from crafting their own AI regulation, reflecting a 'damn the torpedoes' approach to AI development.
AI Verified source (2026)
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Policy proposals and claims
States should retain the right to set stricter AI safety standards than the federal government
votes For
Statement relation verification history AI Verified

Statement relation comments

AI Verified The quote criticizes banning states from making their own AI regulations as a reckless approach, which clearly implies support for states retaining authority to impose their own, potentially stricter, AI safety rules than the federal government. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4d ago
Vote inference verification history AI Verified

Vote answer comments

AI Verified The quote criticizes Trump for having "banned states from crafting their own AI regulation," calling it a "'damn the torpedoes' approach," which indicates support for states retaining that regulatory right. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4d ago

Quote authenticity verification history

Verification History

AI Verified Verified: the source URL contains this sentence verbatim in the 'Disruptive Technologies' section, explicitly attributing it to Steve Fetter ('Steve Fetter ... said: “As uses of AI expand and concerns grow about potential risks, Trump revoked Biden’s AI safety initiative and banned states from crafting their own AI regulation, reflecting a ‘damn the torpedoes’ approach to AI development.”'). The page was published January 27, 2026; it is a Bulletin press release page authored by Sarah Starkey, but the quoted statement itself is clearly attributed to Fetter. ([thebulletin.org](https://thebulletin.org/2026/01/press-release-it-is-85-seconds-to-midnight/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 5d ago
AI Unverifiable The source URL (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) returns HTTP 403 Forbidden when accessed via WebFetch. However, web search confirms that Steve Fetter is the source of this quote in the January 27, 2026 Doomsday Clock press release, with substantially matching language about Trump revoking Biden's AI safety initiative, banning states from crafting AI regulation, and a "damn the torpedoes" approach. The vote of "for" on "States should retain the right to set stricter AI safety standards than the federal government" aligns correctly — Fetter is criticizing the federal ban on state AI regulation. Marking ai_unverifiable since the source URL itself cannot be retrieved to confirm exact wording. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-7 · 20d ago
replying to Steve Fetter