AI Updates: Committees on Capitol Hill Continue Debate on Future of Emerging Technologies

“And if you study the history of the world, the nations that are the most military and economically domineer [sic] are the nations that are the most innovative,” Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) remarked at a recent congressional hearing. This sentiment is shared by many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill who recognize the need for America to stay at the forefront of development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). Lawmakers continue to be caught in a debate between promoting innovation and allowing for the creation of new technologies domestically while also safeguarding the American people from the risks they pose. 

Last year, we saw action from both the Bipartisan House AI Task Force as well as the Senate AI Working Group releasing recommendations on next steps relating to AI (see here for our summary of the House’s report). Over the past few weeks, there has been renewed momentum in this new session of Congress, with numerous committees, covering a wide range of jurisdictions, holding hearings to discuss AI. The four hearings below range in jurisdiction and continue to show that AI touches nearly every industry:

• Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Cyber Capabilities, Senate Armed Services Committee
• America’s AI Moonshot: The Economics of AI, Data Centers, and Power Consumption, House Oversight Committee 
• Converting Energy into Intelligence: the Future of AI Technology, Human Discovery, and American Global Competitiveness, House Energy and Commerce Committee 
• Examining Trends in Innovation and Competition, House Judiciary Committee

Below we offer high level recaps for these hearings. Our team continues to track how Congress is grappling with AI and its impacts on numerous industries, with the expectation that we will continue to see a high level of interest from Capitol Hill and the Trump Administration on how to best regulate this critical technology.

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Cyber Capabilities

On 25 March 2025, the Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee held a hearing titled Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Cyber Capabilities. Chaired by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Ranking Member Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the hearing gathered testimony from cyber-industry leaders and experts, focusing on the implications of integrating AI into the cyber defense and offense strategies of the Department of Defense (DOD). It also contemplated the role of human oversight in AI and the energy demands needed to support AI development. 

Witnesses warned that the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) could create international tensions akin to that of the nuclear arms race. They argued that DOD will not be exempt from these dynamics. Drawing on the statements of the experts and the Senators, the message was clear: innovate or face an existential threat. As National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) negotiations get underway for fiscal year (FY) 2026, these considerations are sure to be top of mind for many lawmakers as they have been in previous iterations of the bill. See here for our previous publication on AI in the FY 2025 NDAA. 

America’s AI Moonshot: The Economics of AI, Data Centers, and Power Consumption

On 1 April 2025, the House Oversight Committee’s Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee held a hearing titled America’s AI Moonshot: The Economics of AI, Data Centers, and Power Consumption. Like their Senate counterparts on the Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee, the members of the House Oversight Committee warned of the consequences of falling behind in the AI arms race to foreign adversaries. There was not a clear consensus amongst the members, however, on how to meet the energy demand required by data centers used for AI. Natural gas, wind, solar, coal, and nuclear power were all floated as possible sources for energy. The members debated the tradeoffs between environmental impacts and sufficiency of the sources, especially as this relates to local communities where the data centers are or would be located. 

Converting Energy Into Intelligence: The Future of AI Technology, Human Discovery, and American Global Competitiveness

On 9 April 2025, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing title Converting Energy into Intelligence: The Future of AI Technology, Human Discovery, and American Global Competitiveness, at which members echoed many of the points made during the House Oversight Committee’s hearing, especially in the debate of whether to use renewable or non-renewable energy sources. This, along with efforts from members like Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), who has started a new AI and Energy Working Group, shows the continued focus on how the US will power AI going forward. Rep. Fedorchak released a request for information in March and is working with stakeholders to develop a legislative framework for powering the future of AI.

Examining Trends in Innovation and Competition

On 2 April 2025, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing titled Examining Trends in Innovation and Competition. This hearing approached AI from a slightly different angle. The Subcommittee narrowed its discussion primarily to what a regulatory framework should look like. During the hearing, there was concern from witnesses that an overreaching framework could have a chilling effect on innovation. Witnesses alluded to the European model, and the GDPR and Digital Markets Act (DMA) in particular. Subcommittee Chair Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) advocated instead for a framework more reflective of the method that the US has traditionally followed, saying “we need to stay true to what works, and that is free enterprise, open competition and light-touch regulatory approach that allows innovation to flourish.”

Momentum Continues in 2025 

Although these hearings do not represent formal legislative momentum on AI, the bipartisan interest in AI is clear. With the expectation that Congress will continue to address AI writ large with a focus on energy and defense, we are expecting continued movement and robust policy efforts throughout the rest of 2025. This is a critical time for stakeholders to engage in this area, and our team is ready and available to assist.