An aging Congress attempts to regulate AI without using it

• Critics argue that it's impossible for politicians to grasp how rapidly the technology is changing — and the threats or scientific breakthroughs it might unleash — if they don't use it or even dismiss it.

One House Democrat called it "f*cking absurd," arguing, "Anyone who's overseeing this has to be someone who's a regular user."

• "That's a real problem," said Rob Flaherty, a 35-year-old Democratic digital strategist who co-founded a group to push his party to move faster in confronting AI. "Understanding what it can do is essential to figuring out what we ought to do about it."
• "As we begin to legislate on issues related to AI, it helps to have experience using it," said Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who's 47.

Zoom in: Several lawmakers, including those steeped in seniority and in charge of key committees, told Axios they simply haven't tried AI.

• "Heavens no," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), 75, chair of the Armed Services Committee, when asked if he uses AI.
• "Personally? I don't think I've ever used it," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), 74, the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
• "No," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), 78, said when asked if she uses AI, but that "doesn't mean I won't." She added, "I don't think we in Congress have gotten quite our handle on what we should do and how much AI we should be regulating."

"I do not personally use it," said Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), 83, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair.

• On a personal level, "no," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), 83. The House Appropriations Committee ranking member added that she needs a "primer on AI, and now with the scare that we have out there, it's much more important to be engaged."
• A GOP senator, speaking anonymously to offer candid remarks about their colleagues, told Axios that the number who use AI is "not very high."
• That's helped lead to a knee-jerk negative reaction toward AI among several lawmakers, the senator added, as polls show growing numbers of voters turning against it.

Some elected officials said they don't utilize AI much personally, though some on their teams employ the technology.

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), who's 48, said he uses AI "on the Google, when you can get a little bit of that search summarized for you. But otherwise no. I do not use it in research. We do not use it in our writing."
• He said that he supports robust regulation and though some in his state government use AI, final decisions must be made by humans.

Other politicians were unsure if they've ever used AI — or said they've only done so by accident.

• "I don't think I do," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), 70, when asked if he utilizes it. "If I Google something, it kicks off an AI thing, but that's about as far as I go."
• "I don't know. I can't remember," said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), 88.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), 73, said she doesn't seek out AI on her own, but that "it pops up on my phone occasionally."
• "Not intentionally," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), 68. "The only AI use that I'm kind of familiar with is an AI tool attempting to summarize email chains, and they often get it wrong."

What they're saying: Some lawmakers such as Kaine argued that they don't need to use AI to write legislation about it. He said he has read a lot about it and trusts his judgment more than AI.

• After we spoke with him, Pallone shared a statement through a spokesperson that said: "You don't need to do drugs like heroin to know they should be regulated. Members of Congress don't need to spend their time talking to AI chatbots all day to know we need to rein in this dangerous technology."

Friction point: But some members of Congress were irked or surprised that colleagues don't use a technology they're seeking to regulate.

• "Are you serious?" Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), 74, said in response to our question. "I use it for everything! I can't believe there's a senator that doesn't use AI."

Yes, but: There are members of Congress who are frequent AI users, including some in Hickenlooper's age range.

• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), 79, the ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, told Axios he uses AI "every day."
• Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), 76, went back to school to get a master's degree in machine learning and said he prefers Claude.

Catch up quick: Some of the most powerful elected officials in the country have told other media outlets in the recent past that they don't use AI.

• In late 2025, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), 54, said in an interview that he didn't think he'd ever used AI.
• About the same time, Karoline Leavitt, then press secretary to President Trump, 80, said that she didn't think Trump personally uses AI, though his social media account regularly posts AI-made content.