Members of Congress are considering ways to increase their technical expertise as they face pressure to regulate rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI). While some lawmakers expressed concern that the legislative branch lacks the necessary knowledge to oversee the industry, others are seeking to hire specialists or revive internal research agencies to bridge the information gap.
Current efforts to address this knowledge deficit include the nonprofit program TechCongress, which places technology experts in congressional offices. Since its founding in 2015, the program has selected nearly 130 fellows, 32 of whom were later hired as full-time staff. According to founder Travis Moore, the program received more than 1,200 applications for about 36 slots over the last two years. Additionally, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) plans to reintroduce legislation to restore the Office of Technology Assessment, an in-house hub that provided technical analysis from 1972 until it was disbanded in 1995.
Legislative progress remains slowed by a lack of consensus on the extent of necessary oversight. Democrats are divided between implementing industry guardrails or banning "superintelligence," while many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have warned that regulation could stifle innovation. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) stated that policymakers currently lack the expertise for a "one-size-fits-all" approach, while Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) argued that the industry may be trying to convince lawmakers that only a few people understand the technology to discourage government intervention.
The debate over AI regulation affects federal workers, tech industry employees, and the general public as AI becomes integrated into daily life. Lawmakers are attempting to oversee a sector where individual companies can reach hundreds of millions of users in months. Without increased expertise, the 535 members of Congress and their staff may remain dependent on industry-provided information to understand systems that experts warn could impact national security, labor protections, and online safety.
The scale of the challenge is reflected in the technical background of the legislature: a small number of members, such as Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA), have pursued advanced degrees in machine learning. For ordinary citizens, this knowledge gap has historically resulted in a "hands-off" approach to the internet over the last 40 years, where Congress has relied on piecemeal updates to existing laws rather than comprehensive new frameworks.
The next steps for AI legislation are influenced by a dwindling legislative calendar ahead of the November elections. While Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) proposed a "kill switch" measure to allow developers to shut down systems, and a 2024 bipartisan report recommended spending $32 billion over three years on AI development and safeguards, few bills have reached the floor for a vote. President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are scheduled to host an AI summit with tech leaders, which sources indicate will focus on innovation and competition. Further legislative movement may depend on the outcome of the fall elections.