House Speaker Mike Johnson wants AI companies to police themselves.
Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday that he hopes safety guardrails for artificial intelligence end up voluntary rather than mandated by law. He made the comments just hours before a scheduled meeting with AI industry leaders and President Trump in Washington. Asked what might come out of that meeting, Johnson said he would have to wait and see. He did not lay out a specific legislative plan or timeline for AI oversight.
The comments matter because Johnson controls what AI legislation, if any, reaches the House floor. A Speaker who opens by saying he "hopes" for voluntary rules is signaling his starting position before industry executives and the president even sit down together.
Voluntary commitments are easy to announce and easy to walk back. Whether today's meeting produces anything more binding than a pledge is the real story here, and by Johnson's own admission, even he does not know yet.