Zero One Strategies

CONGRESS

Congressional Hispanic Caucus AI Roundtable

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman-elect Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) hosted a roundtable with industry representatives and advocates the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Housing and Financial Services policies. He said, ““AI has the potential to revolutionize our society, but it must be developed and implemented responsibly,” stated Espaillat. “Our discussions set the foundation for an inclusive AI future that addresses the unique needs of Latino communities while emphasizing U.S. AI competitiveness, AI science, workforce issues, and managing national AI policies initiatives.” (Press release)

House Bipartisan AI Task Force Report

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said, “Because advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to rapidly transform our economy and national security, Leader Jeffries and I established the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence to ensure America continues leading in this strategic arena. Developing a bipartisan vision for AI adoption, innovation, and governance is no easy task, but a necessary one as we look to the future of AI and ensure Americans see real benefits from this technology.” (Press release)

• Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said, “The development and safe adoption of artificial intelligence holds great promise to make a positive difference in the lives of the American people, and Congress has an important role in bringing these benefits to fruition. At the same time, we must ensure that appropriate guardrails are in place to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology.” (Press release)

• Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) said, “It has been my honor to lead the House AI Task Force in producing this detailed, forward-thinking, and bipartisan report.  It is our hope that this report will inform the Congress and the American people on the advantages, complexities, and risks of artificial intelligence. The report details a roadmap for Congress to follow to both safeguard consumers and foster continued U.S. investment and innovation in AI.” (Press release)

• Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) said, “The bipartisan House AI Task Force report provides a foundation both to ensure that America leads in AI innovation and to ensure that we have appropriate guardrails to protect Americans. This substantive report is the result of conversations with experts, extensive research, and analysis among Task Force members and will hopefully serve as a starting point to tackle pressing issues involving artificial intelligence. Collaborating across party lines to find consensus is not easy, and that is especially true for something as far-reaching and complex as AI. Despite the wide spectrum of political views of Members on our Task Force, we created a report that reflects our shared vision for a future where we protect people and champion American innovation. We have made our best efforts based on the information we have, but with the rapid pace of change in both AI software and hardware, we are fully aware that we don’t know what we don’t know. This initial report is only the first step.” (Press release)

• Rep. French Hill (R-AR) said, “There is no doubt that the use of AI can make both the public and private sectors more efficient and effective. In the financial services industry, the use of AI can result in greater fraud detection and prevention, enhanced and streamlined customer service, and less costly back-office operations. In my view, two guiding principles should guide adoption. First, there should be a ‘human in the loop’ when using AI enhanced technology. Second, private sector firms should disclose and document how AI is being utilized when using AI in a customer facing or back-office efficiency activity. Company management should be able to ‘show their work’ and certify to their internal and external compliance officials that they are in full compliance with U.S. laws and regulations. The benefits of AI are immense, and the private and public sectors should have the flexibility to safely and soundly experiment with AI and enhance performance on behalf of our nation’s citizens. That is why Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), and I introduced the AI Innovation in Financial Services Act, which establishes regulatory sandboxes for AI experimentation at various financial government agencies. The AI Task Force’s report discusses justifiable concerns about American individual privacy, as well as the vulnerabilities faced by Americans when confronted by illicit or fraudulent uses of AI. It is critical that both the public and private sectors provide enhanced training and education about the scrutiny necessary to avoid illegal or manipulative confrontations, such as deep fakes, confusing results because of hallucinations and cyber theft. As we have consistently documented in the House Financial Services Committee, I believe we need a nationwide privacy law that facilitates consumers protecting their own Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and their right to own and control their own data.” (Press release)

• Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) said, “This report is a series of timely, productive, bipartisan recommendations on artificial intelligence, one of the most pressing issues of our time. The report issues warnings about potential pitfalls in AI use, which I am proud to see includes a section on implications for civil rights and civil liberties, including harmful bias and discrimination. The report also highlights the need for model transparency in AI uses across sectors including government and health care, and stresses the importance of digital literacy. It also recommends codifying the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), an end that would be accomplished with bipartisan legislation, the CREATE AI Act, that I am proud to co-lead. This report is a roadmap for policymakers, including the upcoming Congress, to meet the national imperative for response to the emergence of new challenges posed by AI. I thank our House leadership, the Task Force co-chairs and my colleagues on the committee for their faithful diligence in crafting these policy recommendations. With this Task Force, we offer our colleagues a reminder that we can still do big, important things in a bipartisan way.” (Press release)

• Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) said, “As a PhD physicist and chip designer who first programmed neural networks at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the 1990s, I’ve been tracking the exponential growth of AI capabilities for decades, and I’m pleased Congress is beginning to take action on this issue. I’m proud of the bipartisan work we did on the Task Force under the leadership of Chairman Jay Obernolte and Co-Chair Ted Lieu. I’m especially pleased that the report included findings on the importance of a secure digital identity infrastructure, which is an essential element for protecting people against harmful deepfake impersonations. I’m also glad that the report recommended maintaining support for the research and innovation driving this technology, especially at our national laboratories. While this report is an important first step, there is a great deal of work that lies before us. I look forward to continuing to work across the aisle in the new Congress to turn the report’s findings into meaningful AI legislation, ensuring our nation is able to both harness the potential of AI and protect against the national security and societal dangers this technology poses.” (Press release)

• Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) said, “Artificial intelligence has the potential to enhance the lives of Americans, but it also poses serious threats – from fraud and identity theft to election integrity and more. After months of bipartisan collaboration, I’m proud to help release this report which will serve as a blueprint for Congress to enact policies that help harness the potential of this emerging technology while ensuring strong guardrails and consumer protections. This report is an important step toward ensuring Congress meets the moment, and the United States remains a global leader in AI.” (Press release)

• Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) said, “This report is a critical first step towards ensuring that Congress can properly address advances in emerging AI technologies and maintain a thoughtful long-term vision for AI that betters our society. During my time with the Task Force, I have been proud to champion several key priorities outlined in this report, including broadening participation in AI research, development, and education, protecting civil rights and liberties, and assessing and understanding AI’s rising environmental and energy impacts.” (Press release)

• House Science Committee tweeted, “With the recent release of the report from the House Bipartisan Task Force on AI, we wanted to highlight some key facts about this important document.”

Miscellaneous

• Linking to a one-pager overview of House Committee on Science, Space and Technology actions in the 118^th Congress, House Science Committee tweeted, “Driving innovation in space. Advancing quantum sciences. Leading on AI. Securing research from CCP theft. Improving weather forecasts. Supporting American energy. Keeping the administration accountable. That’s a wrap on the Science Committee’s work in the 118th Congress.”

• Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA)  tweeted, “The last several days have seen dizzying breakthroughs in AI from the leading labs. It has become impossible to deny that the world will soon change in dramatic ways, and political discourse needs to catch up.”

• Sen. Todd Young (R-ID) tweeted, “Great to meet with Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of Commerce. Howard’s impressive background will help him hit the ground running to drive economic growth and innovation, and ensure the U.S. remains the global leader on AI and other emerging technologies.”

• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Sewell Setzer III. My thoughts are with his mother, Megan Garcia, whom I recently spoke to at the suggestion of Kara Swisher. It is vital we have new safety standards and guardrails for “empathetic” AI and hold companies accountable.”

• Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) tweeted, “Thank you AmericasCUs for your steadfast efforts to leverage AI ethically to expand accessible banking that is inclusive of Latino and minority communities.”

• Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) tweeted, “We’ve turned our framework to mitigate extreme AI risks—such as nuclear and cyber threats—into bipartisan legislation. This should be the starting point for discussion on actions Washington should take on AI-enabled risks that don’t stifle U.S. innovation.”

• Romney also tweeted, “While AI could dramatically improve our lives, it also poses enormous national security risks. Our bipartisan legislation would preserve America’s competitive edge while safeguarding our advanced technology from those looking to cause widespread harm.”

• Romney also tweeted, “Looking forward, it’s incumbent upon Washington to find consensus on the issues that, while not necessarily front and center in people’s minds, would cause calamity down the road without action—like the national debt, China’s emergence as the global power, AI, and climate.”

About Zero One Strategies

Zero One Strategies is a boutique government relations practice dedicated to navigating the complex landscape of U.S. federal policy in emerging technologies. As advancements in technology continue to outpace regulatory frameworks, Zero One Strategies aims to provide strategic guidance and bipartisan advocacy for innovators and businesses operating at the forefront of technological development.

The practice focuses on key areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, decentralized technologies, cybersecurity, data, and digital infrastructure, as well as the multiple policy issues impacting these sectors, including tax and financial services.

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