Hardly a day goes by without a new proposal on how to regulate AI: research bodies, safety agencies, an idea from the International Atomic Energy Agency branded ‘IAEA for AI’ . . . the list keeps growing. All these suggestions reflect an urgent desire to do something, even if there is no consensus on what that “something” should be. There is certainly a lot at stake, from employment and discrimination to national security and democracy. But can political leaders actually develop the necessary policies when they know so little about AI?