Members of Congress are beginning to utilize AI in their own lives. However, many companies still don't understand what the rapid adoption of AI means for the office.
“I don't mind people taking shortcuts to getting good work done,” said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. “I'm very particular about the quality of the material I get, so if I feel like quality is being sacrificed or that there's bland talk being thrown around instead of real ideas, I call in the staff.”
Business Insider spoke to nearly a dozen members of Congress on Capitol Hill in December about whether they have established formal AI use policies in their offices and what their expectations are regarding the use of the technology.
“We're not going to stand in the way of that in any way,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who said his office is currently developing rules for the use of AI.
While some lawmakers said they had developed or were developing AI policies, many said they had not yet considered the issue.
Some said expectations about AI are mostly informal.
“I don't have a particular policy, just like I don't have a policy about whether or not people can Google something,” said Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “In either case, it's important to go back and make sure the information you get is accurate, but there's nothing wrong with staff using ChatGPT as one of their tools when they're working on an issue.
“It's important to know how to use the tools, and that doesn't just mean how to get the benefits, but also where to understand the risks,” Warren added.
Some lawmakers told Business Insider they don't want their staff to use AI at all.
“I want them to use their brains. That's why God gave them wisdom,” said Republican Rep. Greg Murphy of North Carolina. “I have a smart, talented staff. I don't want us to be lazy.”
“I generally don't recommend it,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said, adding that “there is no formal no-use policy.”
“We never use it to write anything or generate anything,” Hawley added.
A recent Gallup poll found that more and more U.S. employees are using AI in the workplace, with 23% saying they use it weekly and 45% saying they use it at least a few times a year.
According to the survey, the most common uses were integrating information and data, learning new things, generating ideas, and automating basic tasks.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez herself has largely resisted the use of AI. The New York Democratic Party's office policy also prohibits staff from using AI to craft legislation or input sensitive voter data into AI chatbots.
But otherwise, her staff is free to use the technology as long as they disclose that they are using it.
“We have more nuanced office policies,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It's my choice not to use AI at all.”
Kaine also said he is generally okay with using AI in his office, but he plans to include a disclaimer regarding voter communications, making it clear that any letters his office sends to Virginia are not AI-generated.
“We want people to know that we're not using AI to just mindlessly respond to inquiries,” Cain said.
