Exclusive: Obama-Biden alumni launch AI policy initiative
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Alumni of the Obama and Biden administrations are launching a public policy initiative aimed at defining the center-left perspective on AI.
Why it matters: Democrats across the country are taking action on AI as the midterms near, implementing data center moratoriums and running for office on AI safety platforms.
Driving the news: The American Innovation Policy Forum is looking to shape the Democratic vision for AI ahead of 2028, the group exclusively told Axios.
- The group plans to hold listening sessions across the country to zero in on community concerns about AI and bring them back to Washington.
- Those conversations will inform policy recommendations that fellows will brief lawmakers on starting in the fall.
- Former senior Obama and Biden officials from regulatory agencies and the White House, along with other experts, will serve on a council to advise the effort and the forum's fellows.
What they're saying: Founder Alex Roark, a Biden-era FCC official, pointed to Utah, where data center construction was announced then rolled back, as an example of what can happen when communities aren't brought into the conversation.
- "The same month that this project is being proposed, the governor went on TV and told all of his folks 'We're experiencing a crazy heat wave and everybody needs to conserve water,' but then you're also proposing the largest data center in American history, right?" he told Axios.
Between the lines: Roark said the group hopes to drill into what long-term AI policy should be — not just on data centers, but AI regulation writ large — and create a national framework.
What's next: The American Innovation Policy Forum's fellows will be announced in the coming weeks.
