U.S. Congress urged to build hands-on AI, crypto policy capacity

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Congress urged on AI, crypto policy

Highlights

An August 2026 event hosted by the American Innovation Project had 30 bipartisan Members of Congress directly question emerging tech executives, aiming to inform future rulemaking on AI and crypto.
Ipsos research finds 63% of Americans say the financial system needs upgrades for new threats like AI, while 74% prioritize financial privacy, influencing lawmakers as of January 2027.
Industry is urged to provide demos and direct experience with AI, crypto, and prediction markets as a large new class of congressional staff and legislators enters in 2027 with unsettled technology views.

Industry push ahead of 2027 tech rulemaking

As outlined in an opinion article by CoinDesk, the case for closer engagement rests on the view that policymakers need practical exposure to AI, crypto and related systems before drafting legislation for them.

The article says concerns about data centers, AI and new technologies surface in campaigns across the country, with the next Congress expected to shape how Washington approaches regulation of complex and fast-evolving tools. It argues that the gap between the speed of technological change and policymakers' understanding could affect whether the U.S. leads globally or falls behind competitors such as China.

The piece points to examples of direct exposure that lawmakers can obtain from their own devices, including sending a stablecoin from a centralized crypto exchange, using an AI chatbot for district-related questions or reviewing prediction market results. For more complex topics, it says demos and direct discussions with developers can help explain issues such as centralized versus decentralized finance, open versus closed-source AI, and national security innovation.

It also cites an August 2026 event hosted by the American Innovation Project, where a bipartisan group of 30 Members of Congress spent a day questioning builders and executives from emerging technology businesses. The format put lawmakers in the role of interviewers on topics including market structure, consumer privacy, defense technology and data centers, with the aim of improving the quality of later policy questions and legislative judgments.

Survey data and staffing shape policy stakes

Ipsos research cited in the article finds that 63% of Americans say the financial system needs an upgrade to handle new threats such as AI, while 74% say financial privacy is important to them. The article also says nearly three in four Americans care whether a candidate supports building the next generation of financial technology in the United States, and cites Pew data showing that half of Americans now use AI chatbots, up from one in three in 2024.

That backdrop matters for a large incoming class of lawmakers arriving in Washington in January 2027, many of whom have not yet settled their views on AI, crypto, prediction markets or the infrastructure behind them. The article argues that first-term members are still building staff teams, networks and policy priorities, meaning early exposure to industry tools and business models could shape how they legislate for years.

The same dynamic applies to congressional staff, who often handle industry meetings and draft legislative language in an office's first weeks. The article says public and private partnerships can help new offices understand emerging technologies firsthand, and calls on industry participants to be ready with demonstrations and answers as Congress prepares rules that could govern U.S. technology development for decades.

Earlier, we reported on AI data center financing risks as rising costs and delays challenged US infrastructure expansion.

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