Is Washington Up to the Challenge of A.I.?

Is Washington Up to the Challenge of A.I.?

From The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

May 22, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the political challenges of regulating artificial intelligence in Washington, D.C., featuring insights from Nate Soares.

The Washington Roundtable discusses the growing political backlash to artificial intelligence, especially among young Americans, and asks whether Washington, D.C., is capable of regulating A.I. companies. They’re joined by Nate Soares, the executive director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and co-author of the book “ If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies .” The group explores what was behind the White House’s sudden reversal on an A.I.-safety executive order this week, the outsized influence of venture capitalists in the A.I. industry, and how A.I. may turbocharge the next populist movement in American politics. “My impression is that a lot of the people protesting data centers can sort of tell that this A.I. stuff is taking the world somewhere they don’t want,” Soares says. “They can tell that there’s this big corporate race that will either kill them or make them a permanent underclass.” See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th. This week’s reading: “ Can Hakeem Jeffries Lead a Democratic Takeover of the House? ,” by Jason Zengerle “ Sam Altman Won in Court Against Elon Musk. But, Really, We All Lost ,” by Gideon Lewis-Kraus “ Can the Democrats Take…

People in this episode

Guest: Nate Soares

Topics covered

  • artificial intelligence
  • political regulation
  • populism
  • venture capital
  • youth activism

Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • politics
  • regulation
  • youth backlash
  • venture capital

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Machine Intelligence Research Institute, White House

Books & works: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, Can Hakeem Jeffries Lead a Democratic Takeover of the House?, Sam Altman Won in Court Against Elon Musk. But, Really, We All Lost, Can the Democrats Take Back the Senate?, What Thomas Massie’s Race Says About Trump’s Influence, Clarence Thomas Against Progressivism—and Progressives, A Republican Bloodbath in the Texas Senate Primary Is Giving Democrats Hope

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