Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) talked about "woke AI," supporting young workers anxious about AI-driven job displacement, and creating more guardrails around the tech at the Axios AI+ DC Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Khanna's district is in Silicon Valley, where he's getting a front-row seat to the generative AI boom unfolding in real time.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said the U.S. needs "the right framework in place to lead the world in AI" and pitched his new AI policy roadmap to make sure the country doesn't fall behind China at Wednesday's AI+ DC Summit.
Why it matters: Kelly, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is attempting to position himself as a major Democratic voice on the future of AI policy.
Courts will probably find that AI companies are protected by Section 230 regulations on speech on online platforms, Sen. Ted Cruz said at the Axios AI+ DC Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Whether Section 230 should protect AI companies is a much different question — and one for which Cruz doesn't have a simple answer yet.
The U.S. needs a "metric for winning" in its artificial intelligence race with China, White House AI adviser Sriram Krishnan said at Axios' AI+ Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Krishnan, who advises President Trump on artificial intelligence policy, said he measures American success via market share with its rival.
We're only in year two of a "massive ten-year cycle" of rapid AI advancements and infrastructure build-out, AMD CEO Lisa Su said Wednesday at the Axios AI+ Summit in Washington, D.C.
Why it matters: The enormous investments being poured into data centers, chip development, and AI models are reorienting the U.S. economy, pumping up Wall Street valuations and gobbling up huge amounts of energy.
A push to impose a moratorium on state-level AI regulations is not dead, but the vehicle to advance it is still unclear, Sen. Ted Cruz said at the Axios AI+ DC Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The moratorium was one of the most controversial parts of the "Big, Beautiful Bill," and only died at the very end of the process.
U.S. dominance in chips may be the only advantage the countrystill has over China, and should be protected, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said at the Axios AI+ DC Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Access to chips has become the hottest friction point between the world's two largest economies.
The ability of AI to displace humans at various tasks is accelerating quickly, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said at the Axios AI+ DC Summit on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Amodei and others have previously warned of the possibility that up to half of white-collar jobs could be wiped out by AI over the next five years.
The House of Representatives will start using Microsoft Copilot in an effort to modernize the chamber and embrace AI, according to an announcement shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The House now wants AI integrated into its daily operations, and Microsoft is just the start.
Ursa Major will furnish Draper liquid rocket engines and related services under a $35 million contract with an undisclosed U.S. aerospace-and-defense company.
Why it matters: Ursa expects the arrangement to accelerate production and deployment, especially for exoatmospheric purposes.
The Colorado-based company in February teased Golden Dome applications, telling Space News that Draper is suitable for space-based interceptors.
