Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is walking a fine line on the growing push to heavily regulate artificial intelligence by focusing on accelerating U.S. innovation against China, while pushing for guardrails to prevent catastrophic risks.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Cruz is in a prime position to shape how Congress handles AI moving forward. It also offers the Texas senator another issue to stake out in contrast to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance ahead of a possible 2028 presidential primary showdown.