Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris' tech experience is bound to result in some policy differences from President Biden on AI and privacy, observers say.
Why it matters: The 2024 Democratic National Committee platform may still have President Biden's name on it, but tech policy watchers are pushing for policies they want while Harris and her aides work quickly to refine her own vision.
The big picture: The Democratic presidential candidate has not made specific new points about how a Harris-Walz administration would approach the big tech policy issues of today, including AI, algorithmic transparency, privacy and competition.
- The campaign declined to comment.
What they're saying: Mercatus Center AI researcher Matt Mittelsteadt said the DNC platform "should be taken with a massive gain of salt" and there is "no doubt some of these provisions will change with Harris at the helm."
- For example, Mittelsteadt said Harris' background as a prosecutor protecting consumer rights could translate into a tech policy approach that is much more centered on AI-driven fraud, medical diagnostic mistakes or biases in financial applications.
Others hope Harris will pivot away from some policies unpopular with the tech industry, like trade agreements with the EU that end up hurting American companies.
- "Biden's tech record obviously didn't win him much support with voters. So rather than coming out with a fifty point agenda, the Harris-Walz ticket is in relationship-building mode," Adam Kovacevich, CEO of centrist tech advocacy group Chamber of Progress, told Axios.
California could get more clout with Harris as president, helping preserve strong state-level tech laws and providing a federal standard.
- California state Sen. Josh Becker told Axios that Harris is uniquely positioned to help address the preemption issues that have hindered federal privacy legislation.
- Whether it's for privacy or for AI legislation, which California is also leading on, Becker said the tech industry wants consistent nationwide policy.
- Becker: "A lot of the reasons we've had states like California step up is because we haven't seen action as a federal government. So I'm hoping that she can bring together people and the federal government to create policy for the country."
On the ground at the DNC, industry is connecting the dots between technology and the Harris-Walz push for economic opportunity for middle-class families.
- During one event hosted by various tech associations, panelists, including Tony West from the Harris campaign, focused on how internet access is essential for health care, employment and broader economic prosperity.
- Margaret McCarthy, vice president of government affairs at ITI, told Axios the CHIPS and Science Act tax incentives could be one area that could be extended and expanded under a Harris administration.
Between the lines: Just a few months away from the election, it's still unclear exactly how Harris, a longtime friend to the tech industry, would potentially continue or tweak Biden's tech agenda.
- "It still remains to be seen whether and how Harris plans to deviate from Biden on a lot of these issues, but I would expect she will be much more welcoming and engaged from a tonal perspective," Caitlin Legacki, a former senior adviser in the Commerce Department, told Axios.
- "The reality is that the rank and file of the tech industry are overwhelmingly inclined to vote for her, while a handful of billionaire tech CEOs are not. That's much more about money and power than policy."
What we're watching: People in the tech world want to see Harris appoint a CTO like former President Obama did, Legacki said.
- "While it would be very difficult to do, it could be a dramatic and forward-looking policy agenda if she tried to bring our government into the 21st century in terms of officially designating a digital or tech minister."
