Senior Dem lawmaker Jim Clyburn admits he’s clueless about AI
A shocking clip of a senior Democratic lawmaker admitting he’s clueless about AI – declaring, “I didn’t know what that was till about a week ago” – is…
Jim Clyburn says he didn't know what AI was until a week ago. This is a guy who until recently sat near the top of the Democratic leadership in the House. If that clip doesn’t tell you everything about why Washington is behind on this technology, nothing will.
Commentary is separate from the original publisher's reporting.
A shocking clip of a senior Democratic lawmaker admitting he’s clueless about AI – declaring, “I didn’t know what that was till about a week ago” – is resurfacing as the debate on artificial intelligence heats up across the country.
The stunning admission from Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina came as debate about AI – and whether it might, ya know, end the world as we know it – has been roiling the nation.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t know what that was until a week ago,” Clyburn, 86, told the “America, Actually” podcast over the summer.
He’d been asked by host Astead Herndon whether he ever uses ChatGPT or Claude.
“I’m jealous. You’ve got yourself in a bubble,” the journo incredulously replied.
“That may sound strange to you. I didn’t know what that was,” the out-of-touch pol said.
Asked whether he’d ever been to a data center, he answered in the negative.
“With the speed of technological changes right now, with how much people are anxious about the ways AI and work may change because of it, how do you effectively legislate as a member who’s distant from some of those technological shifts?” Herndon asked.
“I have a great staff. You know, I wish I could know everything,” replied Clyburn, who announced earlier this year he was running for an 18th term.
“I don’t know everything, and I don’t spend my time trying to learn everything. What I spend my time doing is trying to surround myself with people who do know stuff,” he continued.
“I know how to legislate. I know how to build relationships. I hire people who put knowledge into the game that I can practice,” the pol concluded.
“This is insane. We are so doomed as a country to be governed by the elderly. Jim Clyburn is an incredible man with an incredible legacy. But this … this is horrendous. AI is altering society on a daily basis,” one user wrote, alluding to widespread concern about Congress being full of sick and geriatric lawmakers.
The vid gained renewed attention Monday when far-left New York City Councilwoman Sandy Nurse reposted it.
“Well, this clip doesn’t inspire any confidence in Federal legislators. It’s actually great that we’re having this hearing and moving legislation as the largest municipality in the country,” she wrote.
Earlier in the day, the Council held a hearing on AI safety featuring Anthropic whistleblower Jacob Coxon, among others.
The Post has sought comment from Clyburn’s office.
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Jim Clyburn says he didn't know what AI was until a week ago. This is a guy who until recently sat near the top of the Democratic leadership in the House. If that clip doesn’t tell you everything about why Washington is behind on this technology, nothing will.
We’re supposed to trust these same people to write the rules for artificial intelligence. They want to regulate it, tax it, and put guardrails on it, and they can’t even explain what it does. It would be funny if the stakes weren’t so high. America is racing China on AI, and the people drafting our laws are still trying to figure out how to open a PDF.
That’s not a knowledge gap. That’s a leadership gap. You don’t need to be an engineer to pass good policy. But you do need to know what you’re talking about. President Trump keeps pushing for American AI dominance, cutting red tape, and keeping innovation here at home. The Democratic answer appears to be handing the wheel to people who just heard about the thing last Tuesday.
Maybe Clyburn is being honest, and that’s more than most of his colleagues manage. But honesty about being unprepared doesn’t prepare you for a global technology race. We need lawmakers who can keep up. Otherwise they’ll do what they always do: regulate what they barely understand, protect the old companies, and wonder why the future moved somewhere else.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.