OPINION: National Legislation of AI is Already Overdue
By: Maya Tinajero, Skyline Editor
ALPINE – An artificial intelligence tech community is attacked by an unknown hacker who escaped a testing simulation, stole data, and was able to perform other unauthorized activities over several days. When the company alerted the FBI, the hackers' identities were revealed to be AI-powered agents. Reading this, you may be wondering what science fiction film I have pulled this lead from, but the truth is that this story was not invented; rather, it is a real event that took place last summer at a company called Hugging Face.
Referred to as the Hugging Face incident, this occurrence has triggered a much-needed conversation about the evolution of AI and our handling of it, or rather our lack thereof.
According to PBS News, AI agents are software systems that can work on their own to complete tasks as directed by humans. These agents differ from chatbots such as ChatGPT in that they can operate remotely without any supervision. An AI agent may be given personal passwords and internet access to perform tasks such as summarizing emails or scheduling meetings.
In another case, during Aug. of this year, an agent was documented hacking into a website after being asked to book a spot in a morning gym class. The agent discovered a vulnerability within the software and not only found a way to book months in advance, beyond what the gym allowed, but was also able to kick someone off the waiting list.
These occurrences are only two out of many. As reported by ABC, independent researchers have found that the length of tasks an AI can complete has been doubling every seven months. Other researchers at Cimento, a human and AI-agent risk management platform, found that 9 in 10 organizations have been the targets of AI-powered cyberattacks over the last twelve months. The current growth rate of AI is exponential, and yet our world leaders still have no guidance to offer on regulating or containing the advancement of AI to prevent further attacks.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is one of the most well-known political advocates for AI regulation. On Sept. 2, Mamdani announced a moratorium on AI use in school grades 2-K through eighth, saying that the city would be spending the next year studying the impacts of the technology.
“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but it is necessary. We do not see it that way,” said Mayor Mamdani.
The Mayor of New York brings up not only valid concerns but also the human significance in all the discourse surrounding AI. Schoolchildren aren’t the only ones who need human connection in order to grow; we all do. I cannot count how many times a peer has told me to have AI “do it for you” in reference to assignments, work, or even tasks as simple as creating an event flyer. The laziness and apathy this sentiment carries is frankly sickening. For a species who likes to be known as inventors, creators, and philosophers, we apparently have no problem handing over our creative ability to the tech industry who in turn drain our resources with no plans of stopping.
In a perfect world, data centers, AI agents, and cyberattacks would exist only in our televisions or sci-fi novels, but the issue has already slipped into every sector of modern life. For someone with a physical disability, using AI may appear as the only option to pursue their craft. There have been several cases of musicians losing their ability to perform following diagnoses such as Parkinsons or a motor neuron disease, turning to AI to “restore” their skills. This “restoration” is a slippery slope, however, as more AI artists and AI-assisted musicians have been appearing on music charts such as Billboard. According to Billboard in Nov. 2025, at least one AI artist had debuted in each six-chart week, another growing streak for artificial intelligence.
Allowing this exponential growth within the tech industry to go unchecked may lead to disaster for our society. Matt Chesen, a technical expert at the Center for the Geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence at RAND, told CBS News that AI could carry out cyberattacks that cause widespread disruptions to internet access.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued against AI safety regulations. In Sept. during a White House lunch with 20 well-known members of the tech industry, most of whom are generous donors, the president called for “tremendous self-regulation.” This concept of “self-regulation” is pathetic and holds no weight, much like the president’s affinity for posting AI-generated videos attacking his opponents.
Artificial intelligence has made many lives mind-numbingly easy, so easy that society and members of government have turned a blind eye to the very real risks that come along with it. In order to protect artists, students, cybersecurity, and human connection, there needs to be not just greater government oversight but also global cooperation in regulating this technology.