AI Leader Obernolte to Steer Policy Push in Incoming Congress

Rep. Jay Obernolte catapulted into the spotlight last year as the chief artificial intelligence maven on Capitol Hill—a crucial role that will shape how the incoming GOP-led Congress addresses the emerging technology.

As chair of a bipartisan House AI task force, Obernolte helped craft a comprehensive roadmap for how Congress can respond to the tech that’s triggered fear and excitement globally. The California Republican is a rare breed of lawmaker: AI is both a subject of fascination and expertise, fostered by his higher education and decades spent running a technology company.

“My first love was always programming artificial intelligence systems,” said Obernolte, who has a graduate degree in AI and launched his own video game developer, FarSight Studios, at age 20. “I find it kind of strangely symmetric that my life has taken me full circle back to helping to lead the effort.”

Legislating on AI’s broad risks and benefits while navigating small GOP majorities and the new Trump administration’s agenda pose major challenges. Republicans face immediate priorities, including confirming President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and drafting a tax package. Yet the tech is rapidly evolving and lawmakers have trailed states, the White House, and foreign governments on regulation.

Characterized as a policy wonk and good-faith negotiator by Washington’s tech sphere, Obernolte is optimistic about upcoming AI action.

The goal is to ensure Congress establishes “a regulatory framework that simultaneously provides the protections that Americans need, while also enabling AI innovation to thrive,” the 54-year-old, who’s entering his third term, told Bloomberg Government in an exclusive interview.

Urgent concerns include expanding access to AI resources for academics and entrepreneurs so “research isn’t just done behind closed doors at private companies” and targeting harms like non-consensual explicit deepfakes, which is “affecting young people across the country,” Obernolte said. He supported bills in the 118th Congress (H.R.5077) (H.R.7569) on those issues, which are widely expected to reemerge.

AI Innovation, Guardrails Outlined in Bipartisan House Roadmap

Urgent concerns for lawmakers in the 119th Congress include expanding access to AI resources for academics and entrepreneurs and targeting harms like non-consensual explicit deepfakes, according to Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.).

Photographer by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

A Bipartisan Approach

The House task force offered dozens of policy recommendations on AI, examining areas like education, workforce, and national security, to form “a giant to-do list for future Congresses, starting with the 119th,” Obernolte said. The task force itself is now well-equipped to spearhead AI legislative efforts, he added.

That’s because the congressman, despite his AI expertise, didn’t “push his conclusions but rather is very inclusive” and encouraged colleagues to learn for themselves, said task force member Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last February tapped Obernolte to lead the group. Under his direction, 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats comprised the commission, representing different ideologies and different committees. With fellow Californian co-chair Rep. Ted Lieu, the cohort held 25 hearings and roundtables over the past 10 months, hearing from a wide range of industry, civil society, and government officials.

Obernolte eschewed a traditional approach of conducting meetings based on seniority and partisanship, creating “a pretty collaborative environment where folks are able to really express and share thoughtful perspectives,” said task force member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). A comfortable, politics-free atmosphere was Obernolte’s goal, said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), even hosting members in the spring for a dinner at his Capitol Hill home—a tradition Obernolte carried from his days in the California assembly to build stronger relationships.

Maintaining bipartisanship is vital, especially as Republicans will hold a trifecta in Washington, according to Obernolte. Americans need concrete rules of the road to navigate the fast-moving tech landscape, which shouldn’t change based on the direction the political pendulum swings, he said.

“He has a fantastic opportunity to make a major contribution, but part of the task is going to be to convince others in leadership positions that these issues are well-thought through and have the support to take up,” said Craig Albright, senior vice president for US government relations at software industry group BSA.

From California to Washington

Lawmakers, lobbyists, and allies say Obernolte can rise up to the task. He emerged as the House Republican leader on AI as Congress started to explore the tech’s sudden explosion. One of the few technologists on Capitol Hill, he studied engineering and computer science as an undergraduate, earned his master’s in AI in 1997, and later received a doctorate in public administration.

The congressman understands AI, its vast implications, and can synthesize those complex topics, according to Reid Dagul, a former Obernolte senior legislative assistant, now chief of staff for Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.). “Not just the Republican conference, but the whole Congress is very lucky to have someone like him at the helm,” Dagul said.

Obernolte’s foray into politics began nearly two decades ago in Southern California with stints on a local city airport board, as mayor of Big Bear Lake, and eventually in the state assembly, where he championed several tech matters, including a major data privacy measure.

“He was an earnest legislator during his state lawmaking days” and brought that mindset here, propelling him as a leader on AI, said Joe Hoellerer, government affairs director at industry trade group ITI.

Since he was elected to Congress in 2020, Obernolte has pushed for tech priorities, such as establishing a national data privacy standard and accelerating quantum development. In the 118th, he sat on the House Energy and Commerce as well as the Science, Space, and Technology committees, with jurisdiction over AI issues.

Obernolte will continue to “have a seat at the table” on AI, “if not the head,” according to Joseph Hoefer, AI policy lead at lobbying firm Monument Advocacy.