Tech policy coalition calls for new Congress to set AI safety standards
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Chamber of Progress hopes for a greater focus on consumer protection and access to technological benefits when Democrats take over the majority in January.
The Chamber of Progress, a center-left tech industry policy coalition, is calling on the 2027 Democratic Congress to establish federal artificial intelligence safety standards.
In a Nov. 4 memo to House and Senate Democratic leadership, the Chamber of Progress laid out a technology to-do list for 2027, with an eye on delivering more consumer protection and access to technological benefits.
The memo laid out 10 priorities, chief among them passing a federal AI transparency and safety standard.
“Democrats should establish a national AI framework combining public transparency, independent evaluation, and enforceable safeguards for the most capable models,” Koustubh KJ Bagchi, the group’s vice president of policy and government relations, wrote in the memo.
Bagchi said Congress should require developers to publish safety frameworks, report critical incidents and protect whistleblowers.
He pointed to the FRONTIER Act , which Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Lori Trahan, D-Mass., introduced in July, as a piece of legislation for Congress to build upon. That bill aims to establish a national framework governing the development and deployment of the most advanced AI models.
The memo also noted that a body similar to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority — or FINRA — could combine industry funding with federal supervision for AI oversight.
“Strong federal protections should anchor a consistent national framework that harmonizes overlapping state requirements while preserving state authority over fraud, discrimination, child protection, and other harmful conduct,” Bagchi added.
The memo also discusses data centers, kids online safety, upskilling in the age of AI, driverless technology, crypto rules and other technology issues.
The Chamber of Progress’s memo to Congressional leadership comes after major Democratic wins in the House and Senate on Tuesday. Following the midterm results, several Democrats have pledged to focus on AI safety when they take over the majority in January.
“Top of the Democratic agenda on day 1 needs to be a pause on advanced AI development, regulation of this out of control industry, and a ban on artificial superintelligence,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., wrote in a Nov. 4 post to X.
On Tuesday, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas, called for Democrats to make taking on AI a top priority. Casar said the results are “the early tremor of a much bigger AI earthquake upending American politics.”
According to an NBC News exit poll from Tuesday, 56% of voters said artificial intelligence and data centers were a “crucial or major factor” in their vote for Congress, and 44% said they were “a minor factor or not a factor” in their vote.