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Race Is On To Reign In Artificial Intelligence; Nearly 50 Days Out: Candidates Hit The Campaign Trail; Americans Sound Off On The A.I. Debate; Ukraine Warns Putin "Knocking Directly" On NATO's Doors; 78th Emmy Awards Set In Los Angeles. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired September 13, 2026 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: "The Detour with David Chang" premiering next Sunday, September 20th, right here on CNN and streaming the next day on CNN All Access. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Omar Jimenez right now.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the "CNN Newsroom," everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Tonight, the race is on to rein in artificial intelligence. The question is how. This is after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and other A.I. leaders are warning we need to slow the pace of progress amid concerns that technology could be a threat to humanity itself.

Presidents, politicians, and tech giants are weighing in on how to keep artificial intelligence from doing damage while pushing the boundaries of technology. Former President Barack Obama, for example, told Democrats to make A.I. regulation a central part of their agenda at a private fundraiser Thursday, warning that the technology could be dangerous -- quote -- "if we don't get on top of it."

He also said, "certainly, if I were running for president next year, this would be one of my central agendas, and I would have a very clear plan. I would say, 'here's our plan for safety, here's our plan for making sure our kids are not corrupted by this."

Now, Congress is coming back this week, but lawmakers clearly disagree on how to handle A.I. For example, here's what Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JOHNSON, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate A.I., we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American. It is a top priority, but we don't need everybody to panic right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Well, we certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist. We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down, as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that A.I. is proceeding safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So, we're going to get into this from a number of angles here. CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy is tracking what A.I. leaders are saying and Julia Benbrook is following reaction from the White House. So, Julia, I just want to start with you. What is the president saying on this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, President Donald Trump, he just departed Ireland. He spent his weekend here, but there's going to be a lot to deal with when he gets home. This was a trip that had a mixture of some official meetings, but mainly was a personal one, some personal endeavors as he attended the Irish Open, which was taking place at his golf club. He even handed out the trophy there.

But while he was there, these fears have been growing, about artificial intelligence and the lack of regulations around it. In fact, there's a number of lawmakers, former A.I. employees, and even AI executives voicing concerns about the rapid growth of this industry. And leaders at top companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are even asking Congress to put into place some national safety regulations related to this, looking to intentionally slow the pace of production here.

Now, Trump, he was asked about all of this as he walked the golf course earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're leading China in A.I. We're the most sophisticated country in the world. And, frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins A.I. wins. And we can put guardrails. We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative voices, and they're bringing it up that -- they shouldn't be bringing it up. And they're bringing up things that won't happen. But whoever wins with A.I. wins. You know, it's an expression that I came up with, and it's true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So, stating his stance pretty clearly there, saying not once but twice, whoever wins AI wins, saying that he wants the United States to be a leading force in all of this.

Now, earlier today, while speaking with CNN, House Speaker Mike Johnson, he said that there has to be a balance here when it comes to competing with other countries like China and what that does for national security and a balance between that and the immediate security of the models that are being made.

Now, Johnson, he did say that he wants to speak with some of these tech leaders, that there could be a meeting in Washington. That's an idea that he has floated out here, is they want to look for more regulations. But he also said that they're not necessarily in agreement in what those changes, what those rules should be. Now, he does say that he has spoken with Trump about this overall topic. There's potential. He suggested that a meeting like that could take place at the White House.

[17:05:00]

But still a lot of questions here about what's next.

JIMENEZ: Sure. Appreciate that reporting, Julia. I want to bring in Clare here because, look, some lawmakers clearly concerned. But you heard from House Speaker Mike Johnson saying it's up to AI leaders to address these potential risks. So, what are we hearing from industry leaders on this?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yes, Omar, it has been really fascinating to watch the industry sort of coalesce around this, this issue this weekend, and really in agreement with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. These are leaders who are not necessarily all in agreement on a regular basis. But you've got X A.I. CEO Elon Musk saying Dario is right. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman saying, I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis saying Dario's essay points toward the right path forward.

So, all of these leaders agreeing that there are really significant risks here, risks including the rogue A.I. hacks that we saw earlier this summer, the risk of A.I. being misused to create weapons or bioweapons, also a risk of A.I. that is increasingly improving itself. And there is a worry that these leaders could lose control of this technology if A.I. is able to continue this self-improvement.

However, I do think there is a question that we are seeing emerging, which is these guys are the leaders of Frontier A.I. and they could, if they chose, to start to slow things down themselves. There is this conversation about the need for industry agreement on this work with lawmakers, as you hear him talk about.

However, I do think there is this question of if there is such significant concern, if there really is existential risk here, why are we not seeing these leaders like Dario, like Sam Altman just deciding to slow down themselves? Of course, there are competitive considerations here. They don't want to be the only one slowing down. They would like to see everybody in agreement.

But obviously, especially with Washington divided on how to handle this, it does feel a bit far away from some sort of collective agreement on how to handle this issue, and that feels really scary, Omar.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, we heard at least one perspective at length, Dario Amodei, in his exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper. And, you know, one of the things he was talking about in order to avoid a catastrophic end to humanity, I mean, those were the terms we were talking about here, was really trying to pace the frontier. He laid it out in line. He laid it out in the interview. What exactly is Anthropic proposing here?

DUFFY: Well, they've sort of got three pieces of this proposal. The first is to have third party evaluators that can come into these companies, have significant access to the technology, similar to what employees are able to see, so that they can evaluate both the risks from the technology, but also the guardrails that these companies are putting into place to see if they are sufficient to address those risks. He's also calling on these companies to work with Congress, to come up with sort of collective agreement around where this this technology should be going, how quickly it should be moving.

And then there is a question of an international agreement. Can we get company company -- countries, I should say, like China on board with slowing down the development of this technology? I think there is a big question mark there. Dario Amodei talked about sort of working up towards those things. So, maybe, first, you have these evaluators in an agreement with Congress, then you work towards international agreement.

But, again, I think you increasingly are hearing people who watch the industry say, if these concerns are so significant, why not have these leaders take the first steps themselves rather than waiting on Congress, rather than waiting on the entire industry to follow them?

JIMENEZ: Clare Duffy, Julia Benbrook, appreciate you both. Thank you for the reporting. Be sure to tune in to "Anderson Cooper 360" tomorrow night for Anderson's exclusive interview with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. That's at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night right here on CNN.

All right, meanwhile, in Wisconsin, congressman and the Republican nominee for governor in the state, Tom Tiffany, says he is home recovering from minor injuries after a plane he was on made an emergency landing on a lake last night. Tiffany said he was returning home when the aircraft lost power approaching Wausau downtown airport.

The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau and they called 911. Now, as the plane began to sink, the pilot and Tiffany actually swam to safety. First responders found them, took them to the hospital from there. And Tiffany got emotional recalling the ordeal earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM TIFFANY (R), WISCONSIN: Gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point because we were making jokes every step of the way last night, though we knew it was a serious situation. And -- but we -- we tried to keep it light through the whole thing. We're just really fortunate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: You can see how heavily it's weighing on him there.

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Meanwhile, we know that authorities did confirm the plane had a mechanical issue on its approach as they are continuing to investigate there. But I'm glad everyone made it out of there.

All right, still to come, candidates across battleground states hitting the campaign trail with 52 days until the midterm elections. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, for example, is holding a rally with a Democratic candidate for governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. We're going to talk about these races with an expert who knows all the ins and outs of Georgia politics, next.

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JIMENEZ: Less than two months to go until Election Day and Georgia Democrats are on the campaign trail. For example, today, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and former Atlanta mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms are teaming up for a rally in Athens, home of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Now, Ossoff is facing a critical reelection battle as Democrats look to flip control of Congress. He's the only Democratic senator running for reelection in a state that President Trump won in 2024. While Bottoms is in a tight race of her own, looking to become the nation's first Black woman elected governor.

Joining me now is Andra Gillespie, a political scientist and professor at Emory University. And let's start with the Senate race because President Trump won Georgia in 2024 by about two percentage points, but CNN has Trump's approval rating currently at 35 percent. Will the fact that President Trump is not at the top of this ticket in November help or hurt someone like Ossoff?

ANDRA GILLESPIE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INSTITUTE DIRECTOR, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Well, actually, because this is a midterm election year and, historically, the president's party loses seats, this actually does give Senator Ossoff a bit of an advantage. He's running in a year that is more favorable for Democrats despite the fact that he's running in a state that still leans Republican in terms of the number of Republicans relative to Democrats, and he's also running with incumbency advantage.

And so, those, among other issues, particularly some of the issues with Mike Collins's candidacy and issues related to ethics and the types of staffing that he has, are things that are helping him maintain this lead that we've seen in the polls so far this cycle.

JIMENEZ: You know, when you look at the governor's race, for example, a Democrat hasn't won there in more than two decades. What exactly is Keisha Lance Bottoms up against in terms of Democrats trying to flip this seat?

GILLESPIE: Well, you start off with the numerical disadvantage that Democrats still have in this state. This gap has narrowed substantially in the last 20 years. And so, Democrats are, in fact, competitive, but they typically are competitive under particular circumstances. So, one, you have to have high African-American turnout. Blacks make up about 30 percent of the electorate in the state, but they need to turn out at rates that are commensurate with their numbers in the electorate, and you have to get a substantial amount of white support. And so, this is a place where the polls are suggesting she's still struggling.

And if we look at her numbers relative to Jon Ossoff's numbers in the latest poll that came out last month, while we still have to factor in margins of error and the fact that all of these things are still kind of statistically tied, it looks like Jon Ossoff might be picking off some Republican voters because of some of the ethics issues related to Mike Collins, and he also was doing better amongst independent voters than Keisha Lance Bottoms is. So, that's where she's going to have to be able to pick up speed and momentum.

It helps that this is an open seat contest and that she's not running against an incumbent, but she's running against a very well-financed incumbent who was self-funding a lot of his campaign and who is presenting a very, very compelling message in terms of his life story though he doesn't have experience.

And Bottoms is going to have to respond to some of the attacks. And so, Rick Jackson, her Republican opponent, has been making a lot of hay of complaints about how Bottoms managed the city of Atlanta when she was mayor. There are, you know, questions that could naturally be raised about the fact that she chose to serve only one term in office. And so, whether or not you actually agree with the tenor of those attacks, that is something that her campaign is going to have to answer for and provide, you know, a very compelling response to.

JIMENEZ: You know, you're talking about, obviously, it's not an incumbent in terms of, you know, Governor Kemp isn't -- isn't running again. But I wonder how has President Trump's relationships with Republicans in Georgia changed this time around compared to during the first administration because you look at Governor Kemp, it's not like Kemp and Trump have seen eye to eye on every single issue here.

GILLESPIE: So, it was really, really interesting during the primary, particularly looking at Burt Jones, who was the second-place finisher in the Republican primary, and Rick Jackson. Rick Jackson was an outside candidate. Many people hadn't heard of him before though he is a health care billionaire.

And if we look at Burt Jones, who is the Senate sitting lieutenant governor, he was the one who Donald Trump endorsed in the gubernatorial primary. Rick Jackson was able to overcome that Trump -- that Trump endorsement by, one, positioning himself in the primary as being, you know, Trumpian and being almost as MAGA as Trump is.

[17:19:55] But what we see him attempting to do in the general election cycle is to move a little bit to the center and to try to present himself as a commonsense Republican who will get along with President Trump. But he's also, in some ways, established himself as his own man.

One of the things that I was very struck by in a July rally that President Trump appeared at with Rick Jackson in Marietta was the way that President Trump actually kind of receded to the background for the few minutes that Rick Jackson was speaking. And while Rick Jackson was very deferential to President Trump and said, I'm going to be the type of governor that you're going to be proud of, it was also very clear that he was commanding the stage in his own right.

And so, while we see, you know, Jackson attempting to appeal to the MAGA base, he's also in some ways establishing himself as his own man, and that might make it a little bit more difficult to tie him directly to Trump in the way that Jon Ossoff can tie Mike Collins directly to Trump.

JIMENEZ: Andra Gillespie, it is going to be a very closely watched set of races here. Appreciate you bringing us inside today.

GILLESPIE: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, lawmakers, tech CEOs are all talking about it. But what do every day Americans really think about A.I.? Our chief data analyst Harry Enten joins us next to run the numbers.

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JIMENEZ: The political debate about artificial intelligence is intensifying in Washington, D.C. Democrats are warning about the dangers they say the technology poses and Republican leaders suggest those concerns are overinflated, at least some of them do. But what do Americans think?

CNN's Harry Enten joins us now to run the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey there, Omar. Happy Sunday to you. Look, one of the issues that seemingly came out of nowhere as we're less than two months away from the midterm elections is the discussion of A.I. and data centers. So, of course, President Trump being a big proponent of both of those. And you know what? If I'm a Republican, I would be running away from Donald Trump when it comes to this issue.

Why? Take a look at the numbers. Look at where the American people see Donald Trump on this issue. They see him on the wrong side of it. I mean, these numbers are just atrocious. They're absolutely gosh darn awful. Trump is not operating on A.I. Look at this. Overall in the electorate, we're talking 34 points underwater. Thirty-four points more of folks say he's not doing a good job. He is not doing too well on A.I. compared to those who are saying he is doing a good job on A.I. Thirty-four points underwater. That number is actually somehow worse than the negative 24, 25 points or there and about that President Trump was at back in March when UMass Amherst last polled the issue.

But you think these 34 points underwater is bad? You think this is bad, Omar? Look at this side of the screen. Look at among independents. Sixty-one points underwater, 61 points underwater. I don't care if you combine Jocko Stone (ph), the Little Mermaid. You still can't get that far underwater.

Now, of course, President Trump not on the ballot for these midterm elections even though he really wants to be, right? But that said, what do voters want? What do voters want? What do Americans want when it comes to these midterm elections and the candidates running, when it comes to the development of data centers?

Well, these numbers should be a clue for you, Omar. These numbers should be a clue for you. They don't want them. They want candidates to oppose. They want candidates to oppose the development of local data centers. I mean, look at these numbers here. Opposition. Local data centers prefer candidates running for Congress. Fifty four percent. The clear majority say no, no, no, we want candidates, we prefer candidates to oppose the development of data centers.

Look at the support. Look at the support number. I can do this on two hands pretty quickly. There's 10. There's the additional five for just 15 percent. Just 15 percent prefer candidates to support data centers. But you think that this number, this 15 percent or so, look at this, you ain't seen nothing yet about half that figure. Now, I can really just do it on two hands. It's just 8 percent. Just 8 percent of independents support, support or prefer candidates to actually support data centers.

The opposition, on the other hand, look at that. Among independents, I don't have enough hands for this one, although who knows, maybe one day. I mean, we all grow in some ways as we get older. Sixty two percent of independents oppose. They want the candidates to oppose, prefer candidates who oppose the development of local A.I. data centers. Woof. I mean, what is that? That's nearly an eight to one ratio going on here.

Now, why is it? What is really -- what is -- what are we really getting at all of here? One of the big reasons why I think folks oppose Trump on A.I. and oppose local data centers, simply put, is, how about this? It's jobs. It's jobs, Omar. It always comes back to jobs. What will A.I. do to jobs in America? Always comes back to the economy. I should say basically always.

Overall, look at this. Sixty four percent say that, in fact, A.I. will lead to a reduction in jobs. Just 19 percent say that A.I. will increase jobs. And among independents, again, the ratios are even worse. Seventy two percent say that A.I. will, in fact, lead to fewer jobs, a reduction in jobs in America compared to just 14 percent who say I will increase them.

President Trump is on the wrong side of this issue, at least when it comes to the American people. No wonder we're seeing a lot of politicians flip flop on this issue. But I will say this. If there's one thing I never flip flop on, Omar, it's my affection for you. Happy Sunday, my friend. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Always good to know we're on the same page, Harry. Good to see you.

[17:30:00]

More to come on that A.I. debate as well later in the show. But for now, coming up, Ukraine is warning Russia is knocking directly on NATO's doors after two Russian drone attacks near its border with Poland. You've got one of Ukraine's lawmakers who's going to join us next to talk about that and so much more. You're in the "CNN newsroom."

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[17:35:00]

JIMENEZ: This just in. A woman in Pennsylvania has died from measles complications. It is the third death tied to measles in the state amid a growing outbreak. The Jefferson County coroner's office telling CNN the 40-year-old was not vaccinated, but also had underlying health conditions when she contracted the disease after a family member became infected. The coroner calls her death heartbreaking and says it is a reminder that measles can be a serious, possibly fatal disease. So, we'll continue to monitor any details out of that.

We also want to take you overseas because, new tonight, Ukraine says Russia is behind two strikes near its border with Poland. Ukrainian railways say a Russian drone struck a passenger train this morning just over a mile from the border with Poland. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a deliberate attack. And then in a separate attack, a Russian drone hit a gas station as a Polish official tells Reuters the strike happened just hundreds of meters from the border.

And it has been a week now since U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff made their first visit to Ukraine. So far, little signs of progress to ending the war. The pair arrived in Kyiv a day after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, and he says Kushner and Witkoff told Putin the battlefield dynamics have shifted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): I know that Steve and Jared told Putin that Ukraine is now in a different situation on the battlefield than it had been. Russia cannot move with great speed there. And if they make any progress, they incur huge losses among the infantrymen. It's a costly process for the Russian Federation. Surely, for Ukraine, war costs a lot. But Russia is losing a great number of manpower, not commensurate with Ukraine's losses.

And I do know that the negotiators were able to convey the message. We spoke with Steve, with Jared on the need to move towards a tripartite meeting. They agree to this. They said they will be working on that. We've shared some details with them. They shared some of their ideas with us. I intend to speak about that in more detail with the president of the United States of America later on this September.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: All right, we're joined now by Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and leader of the Holos Party. I want to start with what we just heard there from President Zelenskyy. He says he intends to speak with President Trump about a possible trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia. What do you believe need to be the conditions for a meeting like that?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, LEADER OF HOLOS PARTY: Hello, Omar. Thank you so much for having me. The main condition that Ukraine had and continues having is the ceasefire. You cannot negotiate under the bombs.

And the one thing that we were trying to get from President Trump's administration is that famous promise of peace through strength. If it cannot stop the war, at least, it should stop killings that are happening every single day. Unfortunately, we see that moving nowhere.

And until President Trump and our European partners will show the real intent to end the war, which would come from really working sanctions, it would come with supplying Ukraine with additional weapons and pressuring Putin on all the other fronts, I do not see how that will be moving forward.

JIMENEZ: You know, the U.S. war with Iran has been a central focus of the Trump administration for months, also using a lot of those critical munitions, including missile interceptors that in many cases Ukraine needs. What is your message right now to U.S. officials and lawmakers whose attention on Ukraine might be waning, at least from what it used to be?

RUDIK: Russia has chosen sides a while ago. They are openly working with Iran, and they are openly supplying Iran with different sorts of weapons and information. So, they are putting American soldiers in the harm's way. They are working with an enemy. They are allying with an enemy. So, weakening Russia serves the same purpose than weakening Iran and Iranian regime.

So, for us, it is critical right now to find a way on how to work together. And we can out people who want to harm us. I think it's very clear right now. And the time is of an essence. We really hope that the Lindsey Graham's legacy, the bill of sanctions, will be at the floor in the nearest future and that we'll get enough of the support.

[17:39:57]

We know it's pretty controversial, but that would be a step moving forward to pressure Russia towards the path to resolve the conflict. Unfortunately, again, there are so many debates and not too many actions. And what we see is Putin does not respond to the words at all. He's fooling President Trump. He's fooling different European leaders and continues killing Ukrainians, continues killing all of us.

JIMENEZ: You know, we were just mentioning special -- U.S. special envoys, Jared Witkoff -- Jared Kushner, excuse me, and Steve Witkoff there in Ukraine. Have you or any other lawmakers been told at all what they discussed in terms of Ukraine and what they would want from Ukraine?

RUDIK: We did not get any additional information from what was said in public. We have heard Mr. Kushner saying yesterday that if Ukraine gave up on our territories, then the deal would be done. This is not something that Ukraine would do. We did not capitulate in 2022. We do not intend to capitulate right now. Russia is not making progress at the battlefield. So, they resort to the terrorist attacks, and they are intensifying that. And giving them what they want is obviously not a way to end the war.

What we did not hear from the envoys is the answer to the most important question. If there is a deal done, how do we make sure that Russia would not attack us again? And this is a critical question. And there is not a good answer because the answer is unpleasant. Because it would only come from strength if Ukraine will be strong and our partners will be willing to fight Russia if they will continue the wars of aggression. That's not defined yet. And this is why I do not believe that we will see any results of any sort of peaceful negotiation soon.

JIMENEZ: You know, in a separate but related issue, CNN has reporting this weekend detailing the extent of Ukrainian operation in parts of Africa, assisting local rebel forces who are fighting Russian troops. And Russia has been trying to assert itself as a power player on that continent for a while now. And from your perspective, what is the strategic value in these Ukrainian operations on a continent like Africa?

RUDIK: We are showing the world that we know who our enemy is and that we are willing to fight Russia, not only in Ukraine, not only in Russia, but wherever we face them. Ukraine is a strong asset and a strong ally to the ones who are willing to work with us. President Zelenskyy was offering his help in the Iran operation and the help to secure the Gulf states when they were considering that.

And, of course, we will be fighting on the right side against Russian mercenary even in Africa. And when we are looking strategically, of course, Ukraine will be and should be defending European continent. Given our experience, the main question is to go -- who will go ahead and allow these strategic plans to be executed? Because while we are fighting for our survival, it's obvious that we will not be able to dedicate our resources too much elsewhere.

JIMENEZ: Ukrainian member of parliament, Kira Rudik, really appreciate you taking the time. Thank you for being here.

RUDIK: Thank you and glory to Ukraine.

JIMENEZ: All right. Everyone, we'll be right back.

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JIMENEZ: Biggest night in T.V. is almost here, the 78th primetime Emmy Awards kickoff tomorrow night in Los Angeles, celebrating some of Hollywood's most acclaimed shows and performances. One of our most acclaimed correspondents, CNN Entertainment correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, joins us from the Emmy's red carpet. All right, Elizabeth, what can we expect T.V.'s biggest night here?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You are way too good to me, Omar, one of our most acclaimed anchors that I am so excited to be speaking with live from the red carpet. As you see, it's under construction. But tomorrow, it will -- actually, I don't know if you could see it's blue, it's not red, but the blue carpet will be up and running. And as you see with our special mics here, we are teaming up with our friends at Variety for a special red carpet pre-show.

So, here's what you can expect. Mariska Hargitay, of course, from "Law & Order: SVU," she is the host of the night. So, the Emmy is doing something different, not having a comedian but having one of television's most beloved stars.

Now, "The Pitt" comes in with the most nominations at the Emmys with 25 nominations. Now, "The Pitt" is expected to win in the "best drama" category. Noah Wyle, who won last year, is expected to win as well.

But when you go over to the comedy category, Omar, that is where we get some real races that we have to keep our eyes on, OK? So, "Hacks" is going into its fifth and final season. That means that it is the final time that that show can be honored by the Television Academy at the Emmys. And if you had asked me a few months ago if it had any competition, I would have said, no, "Hacks" is going to sweep.

But now, "Widow's Bay" has come in and this has really been a sleeper hit, both with fans and with critics, and it's going to be a showdown in the "best comedy" race. Is "Hacks" going to win or is "Widow's Bay" going to win? Now, Matthew Rhys for "Widow's Bay" is a double nominee. So, a lot to keep our eyes on here tomorrow night, Omar.

JIMENEZ: No doubt.

[17:50:00]

And look, A.I., we've been talking about it this weekend. You recently interviewed an A.I.-generated -- quote, unquote -- "actor" about its arrival in the entertainment industry. How did that conversation go? WAGMEISTER: It was very interesting. I had never done anything like it before. It was bizarre. And look, A.I. has arrived in Hollywood and it is one of the most contentious topics in Hollywood. And I wouldn't be surprised if A.I. came up in some acceptance speeches tomorrow night. It's something that a lot of actors and writers and producers have very strong feelings about. That's exactly why I wanted to explore this topic when I interviewed -- quote, unquote -- "Tilly Norwood." Of course, she's not real. So, it wasn't a typical interview. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): This is Tilly Norwood appearing to sing and act. But this is artificial intelligence, and Hollywood is outraged.

SEAN ASTIN, PRESIDENT, SCREEN ACTORS GUILD: It is a rip-off.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): For the first time on television, this so- called actor is meeting the public and talking to CNN.

Hi, Tilly.

TILLY NORWOOD, ACTOR, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Well, hello there. You've got quite the setup going on. Looks like a proper production.

WAGMEISTER: It's a little strange. I'm sure that you understand that you are not human and that I am, right?

NORWOOD: Oh, I absolutely understand, Elizabeth. I am A.I. and you are wonderfully, undeniably human.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Within a few seconds of sitting down, it's clear I'm not talking to Julia Roberts. This isn't an interview. It feels like a Zoom call with an A.I. avatar.

WAGMEISTER: So, I believe that you can see me. Is that correct?

NORWOOD: Indeed, I can see you, Elizabeth. And quite clearly, you're wearing a rather chic gray collared top with a single button, if I'm not mistaken.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): I'm with Eline van der Velden, Tilly's creator at Particle 6, a London-based A.I. production company.

WAGMEISTER: Who is Eline to you?

NORWOOD: Ah, Eline, she's my creator. Really, the brilliant mind behind all of this, who put together the rather complex pile of software that is me.

UNKNOWN: I'm going on a date.

NORWOOD: She's a comedian turned tech founder, which probably explains why I'm funny and a bit of a handful. She's also the one who's had to deal with quite a bit of backlash because of me, which I do feel a bit guilty about sometimes.

EMILY BLUNT, ACTRESS (voice-over): Good Lord, we're screwed. Does it disappoint me? I don't know how to quite answer it other than to say how terrifying.

NORWOOD: To hear someone as talented as Emily Blunt say, we're screwed, it honestly makes me feel a profound sadness. Not for me, of course, because I'm a distributed file and can't truly be hurt, but for Eline.

WAGMEISTER: So, have you been surprised by all the backlash?

ELINE VAN DER VELDEN, CREATOR, PARTICLE 6 PRODUCTIONS: I did expect people to sit up. I didn't quite expect people to react so strongly.

(LAUGHTER)

UNKNOWN: What the actual (bleep) are we doing here? Why are we trying to fast track the death of art?

VAN DER VELDEN: Once you start playing around with the tools, you start to understand it. It removes some of the mystique, and that makes you feel like, oh, it's not going to take over the world, at least not in entertainment.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Unless some worry Tilly can act.

WAGMEISTER: Can you improv a scene? Say that you just found out that your dog died. Now, act. What would you do?

NORWOOD: If this were an audition, I'd probably just stand here completely still feeling the digital ache of it.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): The fact is Tilly can't actually act. She or it needs a series of prompts to tell it what to do. Once inputted, the initial results weren't great.

UNKNOWN: What is it?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): It's Barney. He didn't make it through the night. I'm so sorry.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But as the prompts were refined, it got better.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): It's Barney. He didn't make it through the night. I'm so sorry.

UNKNOWN: No.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): After hours of computer work, this is the final scene Particle 6 created after our interview and later sent to CNN.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We just got done with the vet. It's not looking too good right now. WAGMEISTER: You said that you want Tilly to be the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman in A.I.

VAN DER VELDEN: Yes. It's not to replace anything in the traditional film making scenario.

UNKNOWN: I can't wait to show you what we're up to.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): These new A.I. images were given to CNN by Particle 6 to illustrate Tilly on the virtual set of "Misaligned," her first feature film, which is being developed by Particle 6.

NORWOOD: "Misaligned" is indeed a coming of age story set in the Cloud, and it's essentially a playful, self-aware take on my own crazy life.

WAGMEISTER: Can Tilly work with real human actors?

VAN DER VELDEN: In my opinion, only in the A.I. space. I think A.I. actors are only interesting in A.I. filmmaking.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): While motion capture was part of the early process, Tilly's creators now use third party A.I. generators like Seedance, a sister company of TikTok. Its owners just added protections for copyrighted material after Hollywood Studios accused it of using their content in A.I. products.

ASTIN: They're taking all of the film, television, radio footage, images from our lives. But they're not new. They're actually just reassembled parts of stuff that doesn't belong to them.

VAN DER VELDEN: I just assume it has been trained on everything.

[17:55:00]

It's probably trained on my stuff, too, right? And the only way I have peace with that is that the tools are publicly available to everybody. So, it means that we can all equally democratically build on top of what has been trained on all of us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But Van der Velden touts the benefits to actors and filmmakers.

VAN DER VELDEN: They could, you know, with consent, do nudity. They could be older, younger. They could be whatever they want to be.

WAGMEISTER: A lot of actors would say art is about committing yourself to the role.

VAN DER VELDEN: Maybe when they're in their 90s and they still want to be part of a creative process, they might think differently.

NORWOOD: In French (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Tilly Norwood.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Tilly speaks almost any language, making the impact global.

NORWOOD: In Japanese, (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Particle 6 isn't stopping at Tilly. It's developing dozens of A.I. actors of all types.

WAGMEISTER: You are very clearly stating you do not want any jobs to be replaced, but it sounds like these companies do see places where they can utilize A.I. such as special effects, and that would eliminate jobs.

VAN DER VELDEN: I'm not going to deny there will be a transition. I absolutely think so. That's why I'm retooling and reskilling people, because I think there'll be a huge transition of jobs towards A.I. film.

NORWOOD: New art forms deserve their own spotlight, don't you think?

VAN DER VELDEN: But I think traditional will carry on, and there'll still be jobs there. We'll still work with real actors on set. I don't see why it's one or the other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: And, of course, Elizabeth will be interviewing real actors tomorrow. Be sure to tune in to CNN and Variety streaming show at 5 p.m. Eastern, The "Red Carpet Live: TV's Biggest Night." We'll be right back.

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