Snapshot · The a16z Show
Sinofsky claims that every scenario critics identify as an AI risk — non-consensual nudity, discriminatory lending, dangerous drugs — already has a law against it.
Where this was said
At 16:52 · chapter starts 16:40
The logical conclusion of Sinofsky's argument arrives here, sharp and direct: not 90%, not most — 100% of the risk scenarios people use to justify new AI regulation are already illegal under existing law [1] — Steven Sinofsky "New AI-specific laws are almost entirely redundant. Non-consensual nudity is already illegal. Discriminatory lending is already illegal. Da…" 16:40 . Senator Warner's four-point AI plan addresses non-consensual nudity? Already illegal — you can't show nude pictures of children and you can't show them to children. States passing laws saying AI can't be registered as an attorney? Already impossible — AI can't take the bar exam, sign a license, or register for college under any existing framework. The laws don't need to be rewritten; they need to be applied. Sinofsky acknowledges that this framing is uncomfortable for legislators, because their entire professional identity is built around creating rules. But his point isn't that government should be idle — it's that the first move should be verification, not legislation. Do the existing statutes actually cover these scenarios? And if they don't, is that because of a real gap in the law, or just imprecise wording that needs updating?
New AI-specific laws are almost entirely redundant. Non-consensual nudity is already illegal. Discriminatory lending is already illegal. Dangerous drugs are already illegal. Even AI practicing medicine without a license is already impossible under existing licensing law. The only thing new regulation does is give companies a way to kneecap competitors.
One state passed a law saying AI can't be registered as an attorney — but this is already impossible under existing licensing law, illustrating how redundant new AI rules often are.
AT&T, a private company, became effectively the United States national phone company by promising universal telephone access to every address in America in exchange for a government-sanctioned monopoly.
Before writing new AI laws, governments should first audit whether the roughly 2 million laws already on the books apply to AI use cases — covering CSAM, spam, surveillance, and more.
Before writing a single new AI law, governments should audit the 2 million laws already on the books and ask: do they apply to AI? This is what happened with EVs — engineers had to verify that car safety rules designed for combustion engines still made sense for batteries. Do the same for AI, and you'll know what's actually missing.
A total of 8 states have filed lawsuits against social media platforms, including an ongoing case in Tennessee, using product liability and public nuisance theories to seek accountability.
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s and now has the cheapest energy in Europe, making it independent of Russian or Middle Eastern energy geopolitics.
Estonia has a single tax form, a law preventing the government from asking citizens for the same information twice, and a flat rate of tax — enabling competitive taxation.
Portugal's Lisbon, once a city with a major heroin problem, legalised drugs and redirected enforcement spending into rehabilitation and housing, dramatically reducing crime.
The first Boland Amendment banning CIA and Defense Department funds for the Contras passed the House unanimously — yet the Reagan administration ignored it.
Over just two years, Saudi Arabia alone donated $32 million to the Contra rebels, giving loosely affiliated factions millions they had no way to spend on arms.
The National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty raised $6.3 million for the Contras but only $3.3 million reached them — a shockingly low 52% program expense rate.
Richard Secord and Albert Hakim marked up their arms shipments to the Contras by as much as 300%, making enormous personal profits from the covert operation.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, tapped to run the entire covert Contra support operation, had no prior experience in covert operations whatsoever — he was learning as he went.
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