AI apocalypse? Most Louisiana candidates for Congress stay vague on regulation

Most candidates running for Congress in Louisiana agree there should be some federal regulations placed on artificial intelligence. But at this point they are mostly offering generalities, without providing specifics about any limitations they would favor. 

Their remarks come amid mounting concerns about AI safety. Lead tech executives, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, have warned that artificial intelligence could upend the job market and pose significant threats to public safety and infrastructure unless it is safely contained. 

The Illuminator sought feedback on potential AI regulation from the two candidates for U.S. Senate and in the two competitive U.S. House races, for the 5th District and 6th District seats. 

In general, Republican candidates were more apprehensive about AI constraints, a position President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, share. Democrats expressed more concern about the impact of artificial intelligence, particularly on the job market and the economy.

“When you’re listening and especially the piece that I heard from Bill Gates, it’s frightening,” said state Rep. Pat Moore, D-Monroe, who is running for Congress in the 5th District. 

Davis: Tax AI for jobs taken 

While most candidates did not provide details about what they would want from AI regulation, three outlined some restrictions they would like to propose.

Democrat Lindsay “Rubia” Garcia, who is running in the 6th District, said she would support cybersecurity testing and protections for personal data. Disclosure for when people are interacting with artificial intelligence and reporting serious security breaches should also be required, she said.

“People should also have a meaningful way to challenge consequential decisions made using AI, such as decisions about employment, housing or access to services,” Garcia wrote in an email.

State Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, part of the 6th District field, wants to impose strict trade rules regarding selling the technology that helps power artificial intelligence. He said he does not think such sales to China should be allowed, citing national security concerns.

“I want to make sure that America is the leader in this, and then we protect that intellectual capital here as well as the intellectual physical assets that create that capital,” Echols said.

Jamie Davis, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, said companies that use artificial intelligence to cut jobs should not receive a tax break for doing so.

“A company that replaces a human job with an AI job, I think that … company should have to pay the taxes for that human job,” Davis said. 

Congresswoman Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, provided a written response to questions about her stance on AI concerns. She did not provide specifics about what she would support in terms of AI regulation. 

“Government has a responsibility to protect Americans and put common-sense guardrails in place without overregulating this technology or allowing China to win the global AI race,” Letlow said in her statement.

A threat to humanity?

In addition to Gates saying that artificial intelligence could cause “a billion” deaths, a former researcher for two of the most high-profile AI companies issued a similar warning. Jacob Coxon, who has worked with OpenAI and Anthropic, said people inside the industry believe AI could threaten humanity by the end of the decade, the Associated Press reported.

There have been several incidents of AI agents attempting to hack or scrap government websites in recent weeks, according to AP, and reports on the technology “going rogue” and acting autonomously without human direction. But some of the candidates feel the fears are overblown. 

“We do need to have some safeguards in place to make sure there are no unintended consequences, but, no, I do not think AI is going to imperil human existence,” said state Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, a 5th District candidate. 

Letlow and Chauna Banks, a Democrat in the 6th District race, also said they doubted AI poses a true threat to humankind. 

Echols said Congress should proceed with caution when it comes to artificial intelligence, but he added that he didn’t put much stock in warnings from Gates, whose reputation he considers tarnished since his relationship with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has come to light. 

“I’ve never looked at Bill Gates as the moral code for America,” Echols said. 

Garcia and Pat Forbes, a Democrat running in the 6th District, said they don’t have the expertise to determine whether artificial intelligence could threaten humanity. But both expressed concern about the impact it could have on the economy by eliminating jobs on a large scale. 

“I am not against data centers. I’m not against AI,” Forbes said. “But we have to make sure the economic benefits are not just going to 10 wealthy people.” 

Banks said she doesn’t believe workforce upheaval would be enough reason for the federal government to place more regulations on the AI industry. 

“I don’t know any industry we stop because of job loss,” Banks said.

Banks, Firment and Louisiana Board of Regents chair Misti Cordell, a Republican running in the 5th District, said they are wary of holding AI companies legally liable for harm the technology could cause. 

U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, jointly introduced legislation that would allow AI companies to be sued when their products become autonomous and engage in harmful activity.

“An industry that’s just starting out, we don’t want the lawyers to feed off of it too soon,” Cordell said. 

State Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe, was the only major 5th District candidate who did not respond to phone calls or text messages for this story. 

Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, who is seeking the 6th District seat, also could not be reached. One of his opponents, state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, declined to be interviewed.