Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said Congress must play a role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence (AI), including how the technology is regulated as it becomes embedded in the daily lives of millions of Americans.
Speaking Wednesday at the Brookings Institution, Kelly said AI will likely affect jobs, infrastructure, and communities, and that policymakers should adopt a broad approach to address those challenges.
Kelly pointed to his “AI for America” white paper, released last September, as a potential starting point for Senate efforts to regulate the technology. The proposal outlines a framework aimed at preparing workers and communities for AI-driven changes.
“The idea is to make this worker centric; we have to focus on people,” Kelly said. “There’s a possibility … I don’t know if this will come to pass or not. I don’t think anybody knows for sure, but there are estimates that by 2030, or maybe a couple of years after that, we could wind up with 12 million unemployed people.”
“We have to be prepared,” he said, adding that potential legislation would prioritize workforce development programs to help workers adapt to new technologies.
Kelly also highlighted safety concerns tied to AI, drawing a comparison to the early years of social media.
“We don’t want to be in this situation where we have this technology harming young people,” he said.
Kelly said policymakers should act early to avoid long-term consequences.
“We want to be at the forefront of getting ahead of it,” he said. “Because what I don’t want to see is 20 years from now, a tremendous amount of regret that we could have done something about the challenges, and we just failed to act.”
Another component of his proposal is the creation of an “AI Horizon Fund,” to help finance the infrastructure needed for large-scale AI development, including data centers and energy systems. Kelly said the fund would require contributions from companies that benefit from AI to help pay for the electrical infrastructure needed to power data centers.
“It can’t be on rate payers, homeowners, and small businesses to pay for the infrastructure for a big business that ultimately is going to be making billions of dollars on this technology,” he said.
Kelly said rising electricity costs could have serious consequences for vulnerable residents. He said a dedicated fund could help prevent utilities from raising rates to cover the cost of new power generation and distribution needed to support AI systems.
Kelly did not provide specific details on when he expects to introduce new legislation, but said he anticipates bipartisan support for a bill addressing these challenges.
AI guidance in the next NDAA
Kelly also said he is considering including guidance on AI use in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), particularly in response to tensions between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic.
Kelly said he has discussed potential legislative responses with colleagues.
“For this next NDAA, I’ve been working with some of my colleagues already on this and how do we address this issue within Anthropic,” Kelly said. “Obviously, rules of engagement is something every military has; they change over time.”
The dispute centers on Anthropic’ s refusal to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of U.S. citizens and autonomous lethal weapons. The conflict escalated when President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to terminate contracts with the company. Anthropic has filed two lawsuits alleging illegal retaliation.
Kelly criticized the administration’s response to the dispute, saying contractors may reasonably raise concerns about how their technologies are used.
“It is a reasonable thing to expect from any contractor that there are things we should and shouldn’t be doing within the U.S. military,” Kelly said.
At the same time, he said military operations may require flexibility in the use of emerging technologies. Regarding having a human in the loop for autonomous offensive systems, Kelly said, “there are sometimes, because of speed, that we’re going to have to make exceptions.”
Kelly added that contractors and federal agencies should clarify expectations early in negotiations involving advanced technologies.