Few are expecting lawmakers themselves \u2014 some of whom still proudly use flip phones \u2014 to become AI experts overnight. But while even congressional Luddites acknowledge there is urgency for Capitol Hill to quickly expand its expertise in tech policy to help with legislating, regulating and conducting effective oversight, there\u2019s no consensus yet on how to achieve it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to dramatically increase the base knowledge of Congress if we’re going to legislate meaningfully,\u201d Rep. Sam Liccardo<\/a> (D-Calif.) said in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

Congress already has a long track record of lagging behind as technological innovations transform the world beyond Washington: It has adopted a largely hands-off approach to regulating the Internet as it integrated into everyday life in the past 40 years, relying instead on existing laws that govern other industries and taking smaller piecemeal bites.<\/p>\n

The challenging political environment won\u2019t help speed things along now: Democrats are split over whether the answer is to put guardrails on the AI industry or ban \u201csuperintelligence\u201d entirely, while many Republicans \u2014 including President Donald Trump \u2014 warn that any regulation would stifle innovation and cede ground to China.<\/p>\n

Some members consider themselves fluent in AI policy, including several who have joined working groups on AI policy. Reps. Jay Obernolte<\/a> (R-Calif.) and Don Beyer<\/a> (D-Va.) have pursued masters degrees in AI and machine learning, in addition to many others who are self-taught.<\/p>\n

The \u201coverwhelming number\u201d of lawmakers have some idea of what AI is and what it is capable of, Rep. Valerie Foushee<\/a> (D-N.C.), co-chair of a House Democratic commission on AI policy, said in a recent interview. But, she added, \u201cNone of us can say that we understand where it’s going.\u201d<\/p>\n

The larger concern is at the staff level \u2014 putting people with real expertise around the rank-and-file members who don\u2019t have the bandwidth or interest in educating themselves on the frontier of the industry. Aides who do specialize in tech policy often get lured to the industry with huge salaries that can be hard to resist.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Travis Moore, a former congressional staffer, has spent more than a decade trying to help.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Moore left his post as legislative director for Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and founded TechCongress, a nonprofit that places technology experts in member and committee offices. The hope is that those offices will be convinced to hire those fellows full-time \u2014 or at least recognize the need to secure in-house tech policy expertise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have a technologist at the table to at least mitigate the unknown unknowns,\u201d Moore said, regardless of what members themselves know about technology.<\/p>\n

As AI has boomed, so has demand for TechCongress\u2019 fellows: In the last two years, Moore has fielded more than 1,200 applications for about 36 fellowship slots through the program, which does not accept funding from corporations or tech companies.<\/p>\n

Of nearly 130 fellows selected through the program since its founding, Moore said 32 were later hired full-time. Two-thirds of all the fellows have pursued careers in public service, either on Capitol Hill or other government roles.<\/p>\n

Rep. Lori Trahan<\/a> (D-Mass.), one of the leaders on AI policy on Capitol Hill<\/a>, is among the offices that currently employs a TechCongress fellow. The House Judiciary Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Sen. Brian Schatz<\/a> (D-Hawaii) also host fellows.<\/p>\n

Moore says his initiative has shown there are plenty of people who want to work on Capitol Hill to help inform some of the most pressing issues of the moment \u2014 even when more lucrative salaries in the private sector beckon.<\/p>\n