Congressman Jay Obernolte on the Future of U.S. AI Regulation

In this episode, we are joined by Rep. Jay Obernolte, one of Congress’s leading voices on AI policy. We discuss his path from developing video games to serving in Congress (00:49), the work of the bipartisan House Task Force on AI and its final report (9:39), competing approaches to designing AI regulation in Congress (16:38), and prospects for federal preemption of state AI legislation (40:32). Congressman Obernolte has represented California’s 23rd district since 2021. He co-chaired the bipartisan House Task Force on AI, leading the development of an extensive December 2024 report outlining a congressional agenda for AI. He also serves as vice-chair of the Congressional AI Caucus and is the only current member of Congress with an advanced degree in Artificial Intelligence, which he earned from UCLA in 1997. Rep. Obernolte previously served in the California State Legislature.