Some lawmakers doubt a Congress that’s ‘barely capable of email’ can regulate AI

Tillis told NBC News that a lack of experience with AI runs deep among members of Congress. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., was just as blunt, saying some lawmakers "still don't know how to get on the internet," let alone grasp how artificial intelligence works. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who represents parts of Silicon Valley, said the issue isn't a shortage of computer scientists in Congress. It's that many members aren't up to speed on the technology and some don't seem interested in learning.

The doubts come as AI moves faster than the government meant to oversee it. Lawmakers from both parties are acknowledging, in public, that they may not understand the tools they're being asked to write rules for. That's a problem when the technology touches jobs, national security, and daily life for everyone the laws would apply to.

If the people writing AI policy admit they can't keep up with email, it raises a real question about who's actually steering the rules for a technology racing ahead of them.