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A coalition of nearly 40 labor, progressive, faith, and AI safety groups is laying out demands for AI legislation in Congress, warning lawmakers that any bill that crosses their red lines will face “active, mobilized opposition,” according to a letter shared first with Semafor.
The letter is spearheaded by Guardrails Action, the nonprofit affiliated with Guardrails Alliance, the super PAC launched in June as a counterweight to pro-AI election groups.
The group is calling for “independent, transparent government oversight with real enforcement power” and “a mandate that addresses human impacts from safety to economic disruption.” They also want to ensure that “AI models are not making final decisions such as denying people health care or benefits, firing or disciplining workers, or deploying weapons,” and that AI is a “universal benefit” to society.
In 2028, Guardrails will be organizing a coalition around a “populist demand for AI-related policy” but for now, the principles will serve as a floor for what the group and its broader coalition want to see in AI legislation, said Maya Handa, a senior adviser at Guardrails and former adviser and campaigner for democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“We want members of Congress and 2028 candidates to know that it’s not enough to come to the table with half measures, and they need to be ambitious,” Handa said.
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Handa likened the push for AI regulation to progressive calls for Democrats to support Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. “We want them to be forced to weigh in on what the New Deal for AI looks like in this transformative moment. And what they should say is: that they are not beholden to billionaires,” she said.
Other key groups that signed onto Guardrails’ letter include the American Federation of Teachers, progressive and civil society groups, and the new group Who Decides run by Alex Bores, the former New York congressional candidate who faced a deluge of attack ads from pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future.
The group is not specifically endorsing or looking to knock down any specific bills in Congress yet, Handa said.