Former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest launches AI policy group
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Dan Forest speaks to the crowd before President Donald Trump holds a campaign in 2020 in Hickory, N.C. Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
Former N.C. Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest is launching a new group to promote the adoption of pro-cryptocurrency and AI policies within North Carolina.
Why it matters: The N.C. General Assembly is increasingly having to take on topics related to new technologies shaping the economy, from cryptocurrencies to the construction of data centers that power artificial intelligence models.
- Forest tells Axios that he wants his new group, the North Carolina Blockchain and AI Initiative (NCB+AI), to have an influential seat at the table for these discussions.
Driving the news: NCB+AI was born out of a task force on blockchain technology that Forest, a partner at advocacy firm NC Capitol Strategies, created in the lieutenant governor's office. But he and its co-founder, Dan Spuller of the pro-cryptocurrency Blockchain Association, have wanted to keep its efforts going.
- NCB+AI will be funded via a membership model, with private companies joining the association. The organization has not yet unveiled a list of founding members.
Zoom in: The group has already come out in support of the N.C. Digital Assets Investments Act, or House Bill 92, which would give the state treasurer's office leeway to invest some state retirement funds into cryptocurrencies.
What they're saying: "We want to help create jobs in North Carolina," he said. "We also want to help direct policies that (don't) kill jobs."
- "We want to bring all the players together in a room so that we can have a conversation that's not based on fear," he added. "But one that's based on the ability to push this future technology ... and to be able to grow it."
The big picture: State lawmakers nationwide eager to tackle AI over concerns about kids, jobs and privacy are facing pushback from the White House, which has pushed for leniency on lAI laws on the state level until a federal framework is passed, Axios' Ashley Gold reported.
Between the lines: Forest says he hopes the General Assembly brings up the topic of cryptocurrencies again this year, and believes other issues, like the growing number of counties passing moratoriums on data center construction, could come up as well.
- "We don't want anybody coming and closing the door on any innovative technology," Forest said. "We want to ... bring the experts in the room that can speak to the governor, the attorney general, the General Assembly and to the counties" on these topics.