Former DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter argues that AI companies do not need an antitrust exemption to coordinate on safety, warning that such coordination risks forming a cartel and regulatory capture. He advocates for product liability and clear government rules as a better path, and warns against using competition with China as an excuse to tolerate domestic monopolies or unsafe products.
Summarized by Podsumo
Kanter says the generous interpretation of AI companies' call for regulation is they fear the pace of innovation; the cynical one is they want to slow spending ahead of IPOs.
He argues that companies do not need to coordinate to build safe products—just like Boeing doesn't need Airbus's help to fix faulty doors.
Kanter believes the way to compete with China is to lean into American values of safety and free competition, not to create national champions.
He notes a surprising political realignment: David Sachs (Trump's AI czar) retweeting Lena Khan, and Bernie Sanders sharing a stage with Steve Bannon to call for a halt to AI development.
Kanter says the New Deal era of governance is over, leaving a fragmented system where Congress is gridlocked and the executive branch acts on whims.
"The most generous [interpretation] is they're afraid of the pace of innovation... The more cynical is they're spending so much money, they're hemorrhaging cash, and they can't keep this up." — Jonathan Kanter"
"The way to compete against China is to lean into what makes us great as a country. What makes us a great country is we care about our people." — Jonathan Kanter"
"Our freedom is in part an economic freedom... saying that we should tolerate monopolies domestically in order to compete abroad is wrong." — Jonathan Kanter"