GOP Pushes Back on AI Antitrust Carveouts as Guardrails Debate Heats Up

Senate Republicans Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley rejected proposals to grant antitrust carveouts to AI firms to enable self-regulation, arguing such exemptions would entrench monopolies; at a Senate Judiciary hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended enforcement priorities while Democrats and others push for stronger AI safeguards, including Bernie Sanders’ call for a regulatory treaty with China. Separate moves include OpenAI backing a key safety-assessment provision, and discussions on government vetting of frontier models and other tech-policy items, reflecting a crowded, partisan fight over how to govern AI without stifling innovation.