Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, has joined the calls for more regulation on artificial intelligence following a researcher’s warning that it could end humanity.
Healey’s message came the same day as President Barack Obama issued his own call for AI regulations.
“When the people building the most powerful AI systems in the world are telling us there are serious risks, it’s the latest and clearest sign yet that we need more guardrails and protections. AI has enormous potential, but we cannot let this technology move faster than our ability to keep people safe,” Healey said in a statement released Sept. 14. “We need federal action to put guardrails on AI development before it’s too late.”
In a now-viral Sept. 8 post on X, a former Anthropic employee named Jacob Coxon said that “the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”
“This is not a marketing stunt,” Coxon said. “No other human activity poses this level of danger."
His warning also prompted outcry from federal lawmakers, such as Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who urged Congress to act and proposed possible solutions, as well as other AI leaders, such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who raised concerns about the unchecked pace of AI development.
"We need government - and specifically our leaders in Washington - to get proactive in coming up with concrete proposals, laws and regulations that deal with serious safety concerns, anticipate AI's impact on jobs and our kids, and make sure that AI's benefits are widely spread," Obama said in a Sept. 14 social media post.
However, President Donald Trump has been dismissing efforts for new guardrails. In a Sept. 14 post on Truth Social, he warned of "a SICK conspiracy" turning people against AI and data centers in the United States.
Healey said Trump is “not listening to the legitimate concerns being raised by consumers and industry alike.” She called for federal oversight of technology companies.
“Massachusetts has always shown that innovation and responsible leadership can go hand in hand. We will keep working with researchers, workers, businesses and government leaders to make sure the right safeguards are in place,” Healey said. “But we need President Trump and Congress to do their jobs.”
Healey has supported AI development in Massachusetts: in 2024, she touted a $100 million AI hub and in February, she announced that the state’s workforce would start using a ChatGPT-powered artificial intelligence assistant. But in recent weeks, she has pushed back, recently signing an executive order that would make companies go through more steps to build data centers in Massachusetts communities.