Altman on Sept. 13, 2023. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Capitol Hill on Thursday, per a source familiar with the situation.
Why it matters: Altman is heading back to Washington after surviving a highly dramatic ouster attempt last year, meeting with Johnson for the first time since the Louisiana lawmaker became speaker.
Flashback: In May, Johnson,then-Republican Conference Vice Chair, co-hosted a bipartisan dinner for Altman in Washington to discuss AI and the future.
The big picture: Altman made many trips to Washington in 2023, most notably to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and participate in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's AI Insight Forum.
Reality check: Most AI action in Congress has happened on the Senate side, and senators will need cooperation from the House to move bills forward. The House speaker scramble of last year put a lot of that on hold.
Altman and Johnson's meeting may tee off a direction for AI in the House.
Johnson's office did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesperson for OpenAI declined to comment.
