U.S. Congressman Don Beyer returns to Practical AI for another far-reaching conversation with Chris about many of the most important AI challenges facing America and the world.  Blending political savvy and statesmanship with his unique technical understanding as an active Ph.D student in AI at George Mason University (making him the coolest member of Congress!), the congressman shares his perspective about the really hard AI concerns that you would have asked him yourself.  Together, Congressman Beyer and Chris explore AI regulation, cybersecurity concerns sparked by advanced models like Mythos, bipartisan AI governance efforts, and the growing AI race between the U.S. and China. They fearlessly dived headfirst into AI-driven job displacement, mass surveillance, autonomous weapons, existential risk, and the philosophical questions surrounding consciousness and superintelligence as AI continues to accelerate.  This is an unusual and insightful conversation you don't want to miss! Congressman Beyer was previously on Practical AI episode 271 on May 29, 2024: AI in the U.S. Congress [https://practicalai.show/271] Featuring: * Congressman Don Beyer – Congress [https://beyer.house.gov], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-beyer-6b444b4/], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/beyer.house.gov], X [https://x.com/RepDonBeyer] * Chris Benson – Website [https://chrisbenson.com/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbenson], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/chrisbenson.bsky.social], GitHub [https://github.com/chrisbenson], X [https://x.com/chrisbenson] Upcoming Events:  * Register for upcoming webinars here [https://practicalai.fm/webinars]! * Midwest AI Summit 2026 [https://midwestaisummit.com/]