Zero One Strategies

March 24, 2025

This week in federal AI policy, the release of a new Congressional request for information to update U.S. privacy laws with emerging AI-related privacy risks, plus hearings on AI cyber capabilities and energy grid reliability.

In the Administration, the SEC announced a roundtable on AI in the financial industry and the CFTC warned about the use of generative AI for fraud. Vice President JD Vance emphasized the need for the U.S. to lead in AI, highlighting its importance for national security and economic growth. DOE Secretary Chris Wright and other officials stressed the role of energy in powering AI innovation.

Read more below

Congress

Hearings

  • Last week
    • The House and Senate were in recess.
  • This week
    • On March 25, the Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee will hold a closed hearing on Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Cyber Capabilities.
    • On March 25, the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Keeping the Lights On: Examining the State of Regional Grid Reliability.

Legislation

  • Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Jim Himes (D-CT) introduced the Intelligence Practices, Logistics, Actions, and Necessities (AI PLAN) Act to require the Administration to create a plan to prevent AI from being utilized to endanger America’s economic and national security. (Press release)

Correspondence

  • Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) issued a request for information (RFI) to inform legislation to update U.S. privacy laws, beginning with the Privacy Act of 1974. The RFI includes a series of questions, such as, “What are the unique privacy risks created by the government’s use of artificial intelligence? How can Congress mitigate those risks?” (RFI)(Press release)

Publications

  • Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) published an op-ed in Power on America’s Nuclear Renaissance: How the TVA Can Lead Our Energy Future, in which they conclude, “If we, as a nation, fail to meet this moment, American leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and the ability to win conventional wars will be put at risk. If we choose to lead, a Golden Age lies ahead. We won’t be satisfied by half-measures. Nor will President Trump. Nor will the American people. The time for bold action is now.” (Op-ed)

Trump Administration

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • On March 27, the SEC will host a roundtable to discuss the risks, benefits, and governance of AI in the financial industry. (Event)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)

  • The CFTC Office of Customer Education and Outreach issued a customer advisory on Criminals Increasing Use of Generative AI to Commit Fraud warning about ways bad actors are using AI to create fake images, voices, videos, live-streaming video chats, social media profiles, and malicious websites designed to look like legitimate financial trading platforms. (Advisory)(Press release)

Noteworthy Quotes and Events

ADMINISTRATION

White House

  • Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks at the American Dynamism Summit hosted by Andreessen Horowitz, in which he focused on the Trump Administration’s approach to AI, saying,“So, while we remain the leader in technology and innovation, I think there are troubling signs on the horizon. And I raise all this to ask: Does this sound like a regime — I’m speaking of China — that will pass up on the opportunity to use AI, or any other technology, to advance their own interests and further undermine the interests of their rivals? I think the answer is obvious, and that’s why, America, we’ve got to be tech-forward. Yes, there are concerns. Yes, there are risks. But we have to be leaning into the AI future with optimism and hope, because I think real technological innovation is going to make our country stronger. So, deindustrialization poses risks both to our national security and our workforce. It’s important because it affects both. And the net result is dispossession, for many in this country, of any part of the productive process. And when our factories disappear and the jobs in those factories go overseas, American workers are faced not only with financial insecurity, they’re also faced with a profound loss of personal and communal identity… The Trump Administration’s great plan for staging the great American manufacturing comeback is simple. You’re making interesting new things here in America? Great. Then we’re going to cut your taxes. We’re going to slash regulations. We’re going to reduce the cost of energy so that you can build, build, build. Our goal is to incentivize investment in our own borders — in our own businesses, our own workers, and our own innovation. We don’t want people seeking cheap labor. We want them investing and building right here in the United States of America.” (Remarks)

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • DOE Secretary Chris Wright tweeted, “America must win the global race for AI. With the research from ENERGY and our National Labs, the Trump administration is accelerating innovation – and ensuring the U.S. has the energy to power our future.”

  • U.S. Department of Energy tweeted, “MORE AI innovation requires MORE ENERGY!”

CONGRESS

  • House Science Committee tweeted, “SST Republicans are committed to collaborating with the Trump Administration to bolster our National Labs and secure America’s leadership in the AI race!”

  • Energy and Commerce Committee tweeted, “Winning the global AI race is not optional. By unleashing American energy, we can help the United States lead the world in AI and innovation, driving down costs and attracting more investments.”

  • Rep. Julia Fedorchak (R-ND) tweeted, “SecretaryWright is spot on. To win the future of AI, we need more affordable, reliable energy production—and we need it now!”

  • Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) tweeted, “Nuclear power is the key to American leadership on AI/tech, and TVA holds the golden ticket to deliver it quickly to the entire U.S. and world. But TVA’s leadership is failing to meet the moment. TVA needs an interim CEO and a makeover of its Board. If we do this, we can enter a new Golden Age in American energy independence, and President Trump can be America’s Nuclear President.”

  • Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) tweeted, “More fantastic news for the American people! High tech fields like semiconductors & AI will be the key to the future of warfare & deterrence. Nvidia’s decision to make chips in America will not only fuel our economy—it will also bolster our national security for years to come.”

  • Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) tweeted, “Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sought to allay investor concerns about the AI boom at an event he dubbed ‘the Super Bowl of AI’ Tuesday”

  • Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) tweeted, “Arrests. Deportations. Torture. Trump insists on defining all immigrants as “criminal aliens” as part of his cruel and inhumane mass deportation campaign. What’s more, he’s given CBP and ICE full control over immigrants’ treatment. With glitches in CBP’s databases, flawed AI, forced phone searches, and so much more, it’s officially open season on anyone who fits this administration’s xenophobic description of an immigrant.”

What I’m Reading This Week

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.

Subscribe

DC.ai decoded, a weekly newsletter on AI federal policy

DC Decentralized, a weekly newsletter on digital assets and blockchain federal policy

subscribe