SW News: Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley has voiced alarm about the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to sway American public opinion in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

He is worried that businesses and governments may use AI to capture people's attention, hold it, and then influence them on a range of subjects, and he is especially concerned about AI restricting people's access to knowledge. The Grand Old Party leader expressed alarm about the possible consequences of merging artificial intelligence with the existing sophisticated algorithms utilized by social media companies to forecast users' preferences based on their behaviors and likes.

Hawley pondered over the ramifications of this for the next elections, notably the use of AI, the forecast of opinion surveys, and the help of organizations in refining their strategies for eliciting voter preferences. In an attempt to return power to the people while protecting personal data and expression, the senator advocated allowing citizens to sue AI-using corporations for damages if they are mistaken.

"I believe we've got to redress the balance," he stated, and in order to address these concerns, Hawley recommended repealing the liability protections for social networking sites included in Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934.

Meanwhile, at a Senate committee hearing on artificial intelligence regulation on Tuesday, Senator Hawley voiced fear that AI might result in "job loss, privacy loss, manipulation of personal conduct, manipulation of personal opinion, and instability in American democracy."

However, experts agreed during Tuesday's session that, despite recent setbacks, AI advancement would continue unabated as firms and investors pour billions of dollars into the area.