House of Representatives adopts baseline policy for AI use

The House of Representatives has adopted a new policy for how the lower chamber will use artificial intelligence technologies, emphasizing data privacy and protection, as well as other risk mitigation measures.

Announced Thursday by the Committee on House Administration and the Chief Administrative Officer but approved in late August,  the framework is designed to serve as a foundation for additional policy developments as AI and machine learning systems continue to evolve.

“Artificial intelligence provides the House of Representatives with an opportunity to modernize and work more efficiently,” Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., said in a press release. “By implementing this new policy, the House will become more effective and innovative.”

The Committee on House Administration focuses on organizing internal management of the lower chamber as well as monitoring the integrity of federal election processes. With the advent of generative AI technologies, its role has been further expanded to analyze how to safely and efficiently leverage AI in House operations. Its framework introduces guardrails specific to AI’s use in the House and tasks the chief administrative officer with reviewing AI tools for specific use cases, which would then move to the House Administration Committee for approval. 

“I am very proud of the CAO Cybersecurity team who worked diligently with the Committee on House Administration to create a comprehensive AI Policy,” current Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said.

Flexibility is a key component of the House’s AI policy, with leadership expecting the technologies to change over time. And though the committee released an overview of its tenets, the framework itself cannot be released due to the sensitivity of the cybersecurity recommendations.  

The adoption of a House-wide AI policy follows the committee’s release of several AI-focused flash papers that have examined existing use cases for AI across legislative offices.