For Washington, much of the allure of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is all the action outside the ballroom — and fittingly for “Nerd Prom,” that means deep policy sessions timed to coincide with the big event.
Which is why a group of senators was at Butterworth’s, a Capitol Hill watering hole, to talk artificial intelligence Wednesday night at an event hosted by Townhall Media.
Republican Sens. Steve Daines, Bernie Moreno, Tim Sheehy and Cynthia Lummis were quizzed by CNN’s Scott Jennings about winning the AI race and data center issue.
The emerging consensus was that Washington needed to head off the states and shape a national policy that encourages development.
Mr. Moreno complained that Sen. Bernard Sanders wants to ban AI in America — likely a reference to the Vermont independent’s new legislation that would impose a moratorium on building new AI data centers.
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“I don’t even think he knows what that means. That tells you there is a problem,” Mr. Moreno said. “The solution is we have to go on offense on communication.”
The Ohio senator said those who want to shepherd AI must tell positive stories about it, such as how it could improve wages or assist work-life balance.
Mr. Sheehy, Montana Republican, said Washington needs to occupy the field so states don’t make a mess of it.
“We have 50 states with inconsistent regulatory frameworks — especially as inconsistent if one state wants to make it completely illegal and one state wants to make it an AI-dominant state,” he said, adding that AI companies “are going to shift — the free market will follow the incentives to places that do want them there.”
Kenny Cunningham, with Cunningham Communications, organized the event and said the goal was to counter the fear coming out of Washington over AI.
“What Townhall Media put on stage last night was the opposite: four senators talking seriously about how America wins the AI race, keeps the industrial base strong and makes sure American workers come out ahead,” he said.
Some of the key influencers who attended the panel event included: Larry O’Connor, James Blair, Mike Davis, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Rep. Barry Moore, Chris Plante, Sean Spicer, David Spady, Katie Pavlich, David Santrella and Jonathan Garthwaite.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, American Principles Project held a luncheon featuring Ryan Baasch, deputy assistant to the president on economic policy.
He said states should protect residents when it comes to AI, but the federal government should be the one to set standards and let technology “thrive.”
He said the White House is looking into concerns from families about how to protect children on the online front as well.
But he added there’s good in AI, especially when it comes to the workplace and output.
“AI is not inherently bad,” Mr. Baasch said.
Pro-family groups like APP are excited that the White House is pursuing age verification when it comes to AI chatbots to protect children.
