Exclusive: AI startups find a D.C. advocate in Obernolte
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Rep. Jay Obernolte in January 2024. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
HumanX and Humanrace Capital have tapped Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) to launch the AI Coalition, a nonprofit meant to help smaller AI companies and startups get access to Washington, the group exclusively told Axios.
Why it matters: Without a voice in D.C., startups fear they could be sidelined by the heavy compliance costs of inconsistent state laws or onerous federal rules.
- Obernolte, a leading House Republican on AI who has pushed for a moratorium on state-level AI laws, brings some heft to the project.
- HumanX hosts AI conferences, and Humanrace Capital is a VC fund that focuses on regulated sectors.
Driving the news: The group is calling itself "the first nonprofit specifically designed to provide early-stage AI companies, from pre-seed through Series B, with meaningful access to policymakers and influence over the regulations that will define the next decade of innovation," per a release shared with Axios.
- The group will be registered as both a 501(c)(3) and 501 (c)(6) for both education and lobbying, said HumanX CEO Stefan Weitz, and cost members $1,750 to $3,500 monthly.
What they're saying: Obernolte, who chaired the House AI Task Force, said "it became abundantly clear that the voices of smaller companies and entrepreneurs" were missing at hearings on AI on Capitol Hill.
- "Their voices are critically important in making sure we make the right decisions on AI regulation," Obernolte told Axios in an interview.
- "If you're a big company, you have the resources to communicate with the government. If you're an entrepreneur, it's the furthest thing from your mind," he said.
- Obernolte wants the group to be a resource for lawmakers "as we develop the framework for federal regulation of artificial intelligence."
Between the lines: All types of AI companies need access to D.C., and the traditional model of hiring lobbyists and PR firms won't be attainable for many of them.
- The nonprofit will help members with D.C. fly-ins, collective advocacy on issues, business development and networking, Weitz said.
What's next: Obernolte said he's hoping to push Congress to preempt states via a legislative framework for AI — rather than an outright ban on state laws — to make clear "where the state lanes are and where the federal lanes are."
- He said he's in active discussions in both the House and Senate "trying to make sure there's a lane open for us to do that."
