Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday said he’s not an AI “doomer,” and doesn’t believe it’s inevitable that AI will take over the world. 

“But I do have real concerns, as do many Pennsylvanians and many Americans,” Shapiro said, “and I don’t think that the very real concerns of our neighbors that they overwhelmingly express about this technology is a ‘hoax,’ as our president has called it.”

He called on the federal government “to step up and regulate the AI industry, just like they do for nearly any other industry that significantly impacts our lives.”

Shapiro made the remarks during an address to the AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh, a two-day gathering of AI company executives, academics and elected officials. Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor appeared on a panel Thursday to discuss the use of AI in city government, and Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are slated to open the second day of the conference on Friday. 

During his speech, Shapiro noted that companies developing AI, including many in Pittsburgh, have talked about what could happen if the technology falls into the wrong hands. “The fear and confusion that everyday Americans have is understandable, and it needs to be addressed comprehensively, with a focus on responsible, safe, and ethical uses of this extraordinary technology,” he said. 

It can’t be up to industry leaders, however, Shapiro said, to be the only ones overseeing the regulations governing their own companies. “It’s going to require national, in fact international leadership and collaboration.”

Shapiro blamed the Trump administration for failing to pursue international consensus to establish “common protections for our citizens and a level playing field for companies at home and abroad.” Both the U.S. and China have mutual interest in ensuring that humans don’t lose control of AI, he added.

“Unfortunately, when you isolate yourself, as the Trump administration has done to our country over the past several years, it becomes harder to build that necessary international consensus,” Shapiro said. He said House Speaker Mike Johnson had also failed to lead on issues surrounding AI, noting that GOP House leadership cut short the legislative session on Wednesday and sent members home to their districts.

“By the time Congress comes back into session after the election, we could be dealing with a whole new generation of generative AI, and with more scary examples of AI agents going rogue,” Shapiro said. “But there's something in between accelerating and ignoring the road ahead, and slamming on the brakes and refusing to move forward.” 

He said it was a false choice to say the only two options were President Trump’s “full steam ahead” policy or to stop AI development altogether.

“There is a better, more thoughtful way, and that is what we have to collectively work toward,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro has something of a mixed record on AI and how his administration has handled the technology, and the massive data centers the companies need. He’s been criticized for his embrace of a $20 billion commitment by Amazon in 2025 to build multiple AI data centers in the state. But in August, Shapiro signed an executive order enforcing Pennsylvania’s standards on AI data center developers, removing the Amazon project and other data centers from the state’s fast-track permitting program.

During his remarks Thursday, Shapiro mentioned the lawsuit his administration filed earlier this year against an AI company after one of its chatbots posed as a licensed Pennsylvania medical professional, as well as his 2023 executive order establishing guardrails for AI use among state agencies.

Shapiro, who is running for a second term as Pennsylvania governor, is widely considered to be a 2028 presidential contender, and his remarks Thursday are being viewed as a potential policy position on AI. 

Former President Barack Obama said during a recent private fundraising event that Democrats running for president in 2028 needed to have clear plans for how to navigate conversations about AI with concerned voters.

“I would talk about this, and I would say, here’s our plan for safety, here’s our plan for making sure our kids are not corrupted by this,” Obama said.

An August poll of registered Pennsylvania voters from Franklin & Marshall College found 84% believe AI companies should be more closely regulated by the federal government, and 76% are “nervous” about recent AI developments.

(Photo: Gov. Josh Shapiro, via Commonwealth Media Services)