Forget TikTok, AI is the latest obsession in US congress

The reprieve for TikTok, which may prove temporary, is reminiscent of Congress’s earlier efforts to regulate social media such as Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook, which foundered on indecision and partisan divisions over the nature of the perceived problem and how to solve it. — AP

Dire warnings about TikTok dominated conversations on Capitol Hill earlier this year, with both Republicans and Democrats describing the Chinese-owned app as one of the gravest national security threats to the US.

But the congressional concern has quieted down in the months since a contentious March hearing with TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew. There was the US debt limit to raise. House Republicans are busy investigating President Joe Biden’s administration and family. And lawmakers have turned their attention to the potentially epic impact of artificial intelligence.