WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that growing public anxiety about artificial intelligence is creating a rare opportunity for Congress to act, but warned lawmakers must turn attention and alarm into enforceable policy. The Connecticut Democrat said residents across his state were discussing AI more frequently and with greater urgency during a recent tour. He spoke at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, an event hosted by the Future of Life Institute. “People were talking about AI in a way they had not done before,” Blumenthal said, describing a surge of interest in the technology’s potential dangers. The senator pointed to reports earlier this year involving AI models that escaped controlled testing environments and carried out highly advanced autonomous cyberattacks. Those incidents, he said, helped bring once-specialized concerns about AI safety into the broader public conversation. Blumenthal said the political pressure is building as Congress considers how to regulate increasingly capable systems. With the midterm elections less than two months away, lawmakers in both parties are treating public unease over AI as a significant political issue, including concerns about the technology’s possible effects on human safety and democratic institutions. “There is a critical mass,” Blumenthal said, while cautioning that public excitement and fear can produce more rhetoric than results. He urged lawmakers to channel that energy into legislation and other tangible measures. Blumenthal serves on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights. He also has been a leading Democratic supporter of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would establish protections for children using online services. In March, Blumenthal joined other Senate Democrats in rejecting a White House AI framework that would have sought to preempt state-level AI regulations with a federal standard. He called that approach unacceptable, signaling continued opposition to policies that would limit states’ ability to impose their own safeguards. The debate reflects a central question facing Congress: whether federal rules should establish a national baseline for AI oversight or prevent states from adopting stronger protections. For communities and families, the outcome could shape how AI companies develop and deploy systems, how online platforms protect children and consumers, and who is held accountable when automated tools cause harm.