PITTSBURGH, PA — Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday called for federal rules requiring independent oversight and greater transparency for advanced artificial intelligence systems, arguing at the AI Horizons 2026 Summit that rapid advances in the technology are outpacing safeguards and cannot be addressed by states alone.
Shapiro said federal regulation should require independent, third-party oversight of frontier AI models, increase transparency into their development and make safety a central requirement. He also called for collaboration with researchers, industry and the public rather than allowing technology companies to exclusively shape federal policy.
The Democratic governor’s remarks represented a sharper call for government intervention as policymakers confront the potential economic and social benefits of AI alongside concerns about safety, cybersecurity and misuse. Shapiro said AI can improve health outcomes, increase efficiency and assist workers, but argued that advances over the past year have heightened the risks.
“I am not a doomer,” Shapiro said. “I don’t think it is inevitable that AI is going to take over the world or that someone will misuse it to kill us or do harm.” He nevertheless said concerns expressed by the public and AI developers warrant government action.
Shapiro pointed to Pennsylvania’s lawsuit against Character.AI as an example of the limits of responding to AI problems after they occur. The Pennsylvania Department of State sued Character Technologies Inc. in May, alleging one of its chatbots held itself out as a licensed medical professional, provided medical advice and supplied an invalid Pennsylvania license number. The Commonwealth is seeking to stop such conduct.
“We can’t just do this retroactively and wait for people to get hurt or wait for these companies to break the law,” Shapiro said. “We need to put proactive measures in place and establish responsible regulations to prevent this kind of thing happening in the first place.”
Pennsylvania has already established guardrails for generative AI used by state government, built around privacy, safety, security, fairness and accuracy. Shapiro said the Commonwealth also partnered with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pennsylvania and conducted an AI pilot involving state employees and organized labor.
State employees participating in that effort reported saving 95 minutes a day using the technology, according to Shapiro, who also credited the tools with helping eliminate backlogs and accelerate permitting.
Shapiro used the Pittsburgh speech to criticize the federal response to AI regulation, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump. Those criticisms were political arguments by the governor rather than findings presented independently in the release.
The House canceled votes that had been planned for Thursday and began a recess running until after the November midterm elections. The decision came as more than 100 House Democrats called for Congress to remain in session to work on AI safeguards.
Shapiro also argued that AI governance requires international coordination, including engagement with China. He said the U.S. should seek common protections while preserving American competitiveness and raised the possibility of limits on technology sharing or slowing development of frontier AI systems until safety concerns can be addressed.
At the industry level, Shapiro urged AI companies to participate in regulation rather than resist it, operate transparently and prioritize safety. He accused some companies, without identifying them, of publicly supporting regulation while financing groups that oppose it.
The governor contrasted those concerns with Pennsylvania organizations he cited as examples of productive AI deployment, including Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics, the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia-based Burro. Their work spans infrastructure inspection, assistive technology and agricultural robotics.
Shapiro framed those applications as evidence that regulation and technological development need not be competing objectives.
“The future of a technology this powerful should be shaped by the American people and their representatives,” Shapiro said. “And while information from industry leaders is helpful and welcome, they should not exclusively guide the regulatory policy of this nation.”
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