Congress Balks at AI Because Using It Is 'So 21st Century'
KEY POINTS
- â˘More than two dozen U.S. lawmakers including Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Frank Pallone admitted rarely or never using AI in their personal or legislative work.
- â˘Younger strategist Rob Flaherty and Sen. Jim Banks emphasized that firsthand AI experience is essential to effective regulation amid rising industry warnings.
- â˘Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and select colleagues use AI minimally or indirectly, though some lawmakers, like Rep. Don Beyer, actively study machine learning.
In a plot twist almost Shakespearean in its techno-irony, over two dozen U.S. lawmakers surprisingly confess they rarely or never use AI, even as they debate regulating it. Sen. Roger Wicker (75) proudly said, 'Heavens no,' while Rep. Frank Pallone (74) admitted he's likely never deployed AI, and the venerable Sen. James Risch (83) simply doesnât touch the stuff personally. Meanwhile, Rep. Don Beyer (76) went back to school for a master's in machine learning and prefers Claudeâbecause if you're 76, you might as well learn AI while they still print newspapers. That level of disconnect lets Rep. Maxine Waters (88) honestly say, 'I canât remember if I ever used AI,' which basically confirms Congress treats AI like the cousin with issues: known, but avoided. Even Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (48) only taps AI to get Google search summaries, making him the tech support for his own office. Critics like Rob Flaherty (35) call it 'f*cking absurd' that those tasked with confronting killer robots barely use the technology. Yet Sen. John Hickenlooper (74) claims to 'use it for everything,' baffled that others in the Senate act like AI is a unicorn instead of a menace theyâre trying to corral. It's like if chefs debated new recipes without ever tasting the food, but hey, at least they know they want the fire extinguisher at the ready.
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(1 of 3)Senators ignoring AI like itâs a sneaky ex; regulating it without Googling it feels like legislating weather by watching clouds â a certified circus of cluelessness.
Watching Congress try to regulate AI while treating it like a magic spell they never learned is peak 21st century dysfunction.
Lawmakers debating AI with zero experience is the Capitol Hill version of trying to fix your own car with YouTube paused forever ago.
Source: Axios | Published: 9/16/2026 | Author: Holly Otterbein
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