Carson Questions Witnesses on AI Safeguards in Military and Intelligence Systems

September 23, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman André Carson (IN-07) questioned witnesses at a first-of-its-kind hearing calling for a U.S.-China agreement to responsibly pace the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This hearing was held by Democrats on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. The hearing occurred after Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the previously scheduled legislative session, including votes and committee hearings, without taking action on AI. Congressman Carson previously joined 106 Democrats in calling on the speaker to hold a vote to address AI cybersecurity, surveillance, and rogue AI agent concerns. “This administration is moving quickly to put advanced AI into our military and intelligence systems,” said Congressman Carson in today’s hearing. “Some decisions are simply too important to hand over to a machine…As AI moves deeper into our national security systems, where should we draw a hard line and say a human has to make the decision?” Congressman Carson also raised the alarm on the potential need for new regulatory frameworks for AI in cyberattacks and biological weapons. “We already have laws and international agreements dealing with cyberattacks and biological weapons,” Congressman Carson said . “But we know that AI can make those threats easier to carry out and potentially much more dangerous.” Witnesses included: ·        Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto and Nobel Laureate ·        Lt. Gen. John (Jack) N.T. Shanahan (USAF, Ret.), Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security ·        Matt Sheehan, Senior Fellow, Asia Program and Co-Director, China AI Initiative, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ·        Miriam Vogel, President and CEO, EqualAI ·        Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, Professor and Director of the AI: Futures and Responsibilities Programme, University of Cambridge The full hearing can be found here . ###