AI executives have been calling for regulation for years, with few meaningful results

A brief history of AI executives calling for regulation

The Verge traces the timeline from Sam Altman's 2023 congressional testimony and White House voluntary pledges to the industry's 2026 panic. Executives publicly beg for regulation, then lobby to weaken or block actual bills. The piece argues that calling for guardrails is easy, but the industry has yet to accept any binding federal law.

Why it matters: The Verge lays out a timeline exposing industry theater: public calls for regulation, private lobbying to block it, zero binding federal laws to date. Hits all three HKR axes, but as commentary/retrospective rather than breaking news, capped in the 78-84 band per policy.