When Sen. Chris Murphy watched the video "A.I. Dilemma," he saw a familiar face. Tristan Harris, a tech ethicist well-known among lawmakers for ringing the alarm about the harmful effects of social networks, was now arguing that artificial intelligence represents a potentially catastrophic advance - riskier perhaps to human survival than the advent of nuclear weapons. The video's message - which has been embraced by some tech luminaries like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak - resonated with Murphy (D-Conn.), who quickly fired off a tweet. We aren't ready," the senator warned.

Companies behind ChatGPT and competing technologies have launched a preemptive charm offensive, highlighting their attempts to build artificial intelligence responsibly and ethically, according to several people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Since Microsoft's investment in OpenAI -- which allows it to incorporate ChatGPT into its products -- the company's president, Brad Smith, has discussed artificial intelligence on trips to Washington. Executives from OpenAI, who have lobbied Washington for years, are meeting with lawmakers who are newly interested in artificial intelligence following the release of ChatGPT.