Trump Pivots on AI Regulation, Worker Ousted by DOGE Runs for Office, and Hantavirus Explained

This week on Uncanny Valley, the team discusses the surprising reports of the Trump administration seemingly reversing its stance when it comes to AI safety and regulation. We also look into what exactly is going on with the hantavirus outbreak, and whether you should be worried. Also, we get into the story of how a former federal employee who was ousted by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is now running for office. Plus, a Spirit Airlines laid-off employee shares with us how they experienced the company’s shutdown news last weekend and what they’ll miss most about the job.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• A Federal Worker Was Fired for Filming DOGE. Now She’s Running for Congress
• What the Spirit Airlines Implosion Means for Your Vacation

Transcript

Today on the show, we're diving into recent reports that the Trump administration is considering an executive order that would establish some sort of federal oversight over new AI models. And we're going to talk about whether this move actually signals a meaningful shift in future regulation of this technology.

In another surprising turn of events, we're also going to get into how a federal worker who was fired earlier this year for filming DOGE operatives entering her workplace is now running for a House seat.

We're also going to check in with a Spirit Airlines worker who was laid off after the company shut down. And last but not least, we'll also talk through just how worried you should be about hantavirus.

It's been an interesting week for the AI industry. On Monday, we heard that the Trump administration announced what, on its face, seems like a pretty big about-face in its approach to AI regulation. The New York Times initially reported that there is an executive order being considered that would create a group of tech executives and government officials who would essentially review AI models before they are released to the public.

It's interesting because it's happening right as a bunch of these companies, Google, Microsoft, xAI, Anthropic, OpenAI already said that they would give the government early access to their models. This is a significant reversal of the very loose and pointed lack of regulation that the Trump administration has had until now toward the AI industry.