WorldPosted at: Sep 16 2026 5:09PM


An aging US Congress faces greater pressure to regulate AI even as half its members have barely ever used it

Washington, Sep 16 (UNI) Members of Congress and governors are facing growing pressure to regulate AI, even as more than two dozen elected officials who spoke to Axios said they either do not use the technology or have done so only rarely.
The admissions come as lawmakers debate calls to slow AI development and concerns from some industry figures that the technology could pose severe risks if left unchecked.
Critics argue that politicians cannot fully understand how quickly AI is evolving, or the risks and scientific advances it could bring, if they do not regularly use it.
One House Democrat said that the situation was "f****** absurd", arguing that anyone overseeing AI should be a regular user.
"Understanding what it can do is essential to figuring out what we ought to do about it," said Rob Flaherty, a 35-year-old Democratic digital strategist who co-founded a group campaigning for Democrats to engage more quickly with AI.
Sen Jim Banks, a 47-year-old Republican from Indiana, agreed that lawmakers could benefit from hands-on experience. "As we begin to legislate on issues related to AI, it helps to have experience using it," he said.
Several senior lawmakers with influence over key committees told Axios they had never used AI personally.
"Heavens no," said Sen Roger Wicker, 75, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, when asked whether he uses AI.
"I don't think I've ever used it," said Rep Frank Pallone, 74, the New Jersey Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Sen Mazie Hirono, 78, a Hawaii Democrat, said she does not use AI, although she added that "doesn't mean I won't". She said Congress had yet to fully determine how much the technology should be regulated.
"I do not personally use it," said Senator James Risch, 83, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Rep Rosa DeLauro, 83, the Connecticut Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said she does not use AI personally and needs a "primer on AI". She said recent concerns over the technology made it more important for lawmakers to engage with it.
A Republican senator, speaking anonymously to Axios, said the number of lawmakers who regularly use AI was "not very high". The senator said this had contributed to negative reactions towards the technology among some members, at a time when opinion polls show growing public concern about AI.
Some elected officials said they make little personal use of AI even though members of their staff use it.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a 48-year-old Democrat, said he uses AI occasionally through Google search summaries but does not use it for research or writing. He supports stronger regulation and said that while some state government workers use AI, final decisions should remain with people.
Others were uncertain whether they had used AI at all, or said their exposure had largely been incidental.
"I don't think I do," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, 70, a Rhode Island Democrat. "If I Google something, it kicks off an AI thing, but that's about as far as I go."
"I don't know. I can't remember," said Representative Maxine Waters, 88, a California Democrat.
Senator Susan Collins, 73, a Maine Republican, said she does not seek out AI but that it occasionally appears on her phone.
"Not intentionally," said Senator Tim Kaine, 68, a Virginia Democrat. He said the main AI tool he had encountered was one designed to summarise email chains, which he said "often get it wrong".
Kaine argued that lawmakers do not necessarily have to use AI to legislate on it. He said he had read extensively about the technology and trusted his own judgement more than AI systems.
Pallone later issued a statement through a spokesperson defending that position. "You don't need to do drugs like heroin to know they should be regulated," he said. "Members of Congress don't need to spend their time talking to AI chatbots all day to know we need to rein in this dangerous technology."
Some lawmakers, however, were surprised that colleagues were seeking to regulate a technology they barely use.
"Are you serious?" Senator John Hickenlooper, 74, a Colorado Democrat, said when asked about lawmakers who do not use AI. "I use it for everything! I can't believe there's a senator that doesn't use AI."
There are also older lawmakers who are frequent users. Rep Bobby Scott, 79, the Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, told Axios he uses AI "every day".
Rep Don Beyer, 76, also from Virginia, returned to education to earn a master's degree in machine learning and said he prefers Claude.
The reluctance among some senior politicians is not new. In late 2025, House Speaker Mike Johnson, then 54, said in an interview that he did not think he had ever used AI.
Around the same time, Karoline Leavitt, then press secretary to President Donald Trump, said she did not think Trump personally used AI, even though his social media account regularly posted AI-generated content.
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