East Arizona News

U.S. Representative David Schweikert delivered a speech on the House Floor addressing the disinformation campaign being waged by foreign countries like China, Russia, and Iran through the weaponization of artificial intelligence. Rep. Schweikert raised concerns about the impact of AI on spreading misinformation, stating, "We don’t actually understand it, but we have a war going on... The number of data points we have here showing particularly China, Russia, Iran, and it’s getting weaponized at a level I don’t think any of us are intellectually ready for because AI is here."

Highlighting the challenges posed by disinformation, Schweikert emphasized the difficulty of having honest debates when faced with a wave of false information. He expressed frustration at the struggle to build debates on baseline facts due to the prevalence of disinformation, noting, "How do you hold a society together but you can’t even agree on the baseline facts to build the debate from when article after article... some of the ones we have gone through are hundreds of pages of tracking entire troll farms."

Shifting the focus to economic concerns, Schweikert discussed the impact of inflation on the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, stating, "If you do not make 23.6% more money today than you did the day President Biden took office, you are poorer." He highlighted the challenges faced by individuals in his district, even those who may appear prosperous on the surface, due to high inflation rates.

Addressing the issue of debt growth outpacing economic growth, Schweikert pointed out the unsustainable nature of the current borrowing trend, stating, "But if you have someone who says we’ll just grow ourselves out of borrowing $100,000 a second, they are not good at math." He emphasized the disconnect between economic growth and tax receipts, highlighting the scale of growth required to offset the borrowing levels.

In conclusion, Rep. David Schweikert's speech serves as a call to action for Members of Congress to address the challenges posed by disinformation campaigns, economic struggles, and unsustainable debt levels.