Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Friday that he uses ChatGPT to pass time during long car trips and to ask questions regarding Medicare and Medicaid. The Alabama Republican, who is currently running for governor, told the Washington Post he listens to the chatbot's voice function while driving across his home state.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become more integrated into congressional operations over the past year. Both the House and Senate have cleared members and staff to use specific tools for work, including ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini. House records indicate that ChatGPT is the most used paid AI tool in that chamber, with spending by Democrats totaling three times the amount spent by Republicans.
Tuberville described the technology as being similar to talking to an expert, noting that while the information may not be 100 percent correct, it helps put him "on the right path." Other lawmakers have reported different uses for the technology; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stated she uses ChatGPT for demographic research, while a staff member for Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) recently drew attention for pasting a summary generated by the chatbot Claude into the public record for the National Defense Authorization Act.
For the public, this change means that the information in government memos, speeches, or even legislative records may increasingly be synthesized by AI. While Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) has implemented internal office guardrails to ensure AI only "enhances" work rather than replacing human oversight, not all offices have the same protocols. A report from CNBC found that House members are already directing thousands of dollars in official funds toward paid AI subscriptions to manage workloads. This shift represents a move toward automated administrative support in the federal government, which could lead to faster document turnaround but also introduces a risk of amplifying misinformation if not checked by staff.
The next steps for AI policy in Congress remain focused on internal regulation and spending oversight. Lawmakers like Sen. Warren have proposed taxes on AI companies to fund workforce investment, while others continue to debate the appropriate level of transparency for AI-generated contributions to the public record. While the use of these tools is now permitted for office tasks, individual members are currently responsible for setting their own training standards and accuracy checks. No specific date has been set for a vote on broader AI regulatory legislation or federal guardrails beyond the individual chamber authorizations already in place.