The deadline Geoffrey Hinton put before the US Congress was "a year at most." That same week, Jensen Huang flatly put the odds of AI ending humanity at 0%. On September 21 local time, US Treasury Secretary Bessent appeared on CNBC and stated that it is humans who bear responsibility, and that their share of it cannot be handed over to machines.
One year and 0% are measuring different things.
The year Hinton spoke of is the period in which people can still act, and the 0% Huang spoke of is the probability of catastrophe. Even though the two figures do not collide head-on, the debate grew heated because of Huang's second remark. He argued that those calling for AI development to be slowed are after immunity from liability under existing law rather than new regulation. Immunity from legal liability refers to a mechanism that relieves a particular industry alone of the damages or penalties that current law could already impose.
Who Huang meant by "they" has not been confirmed. Bessent replied that AI companies should not expect immunity from legal liability from the government.
The European Commission says it supports innovation, while holding to the position that companies providing services in Europe must themselves prove to citizens that those services are safe. Roxana Mînzatu, the vice president responsible for social rights and employment, called for urgent action, saying there has not been enough public discussion of the effects that the habit of relying on AI tools leaves on classrooms, labor, and critical thinking. The remarks came at an event on the occasion of the UN General Assembly that brought together governments, companies, and experts. Europe's own AI industry, for its part, pushed back against the calls for slowing down that came out of the United States.
Local governments are moving as well. New York City has announced it will hold a hearing on AI regulation next month.
Where liability is settled will change the screen users see. Terms of service stating who pays damages, a channel to contact when an error occurs, and records of companies proving safety will either come into being or disappear. Whether one year is right or 0% is right will not be decided in a New York City hearing room or in a Brussels Commission document.
