Mark Kelly Unveils 'AI for America' Plan

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has unveiled his "AI for America" plan, a proposed roadmap for innovation and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI).

A key component of Sen. Kelly's program is the AI Horizon Fund, a system in which the leading AI companies contribute toward the provision of resources needed to reinvest in workers, infrastructure, and responsible deployment.

As Sen. Kelly noted, the rapid ongoing development of AI is already drastically changing how we work and consume resources. In a press release, he suggested that by 2030, the labor market will see a transition of 12 million jobs between fields, but 12% of national electricity demand will be for data center power consumption.

"The AI revolution is here, and we need to make sure hardworking Americans are not left behind," the Arizona Senator said in a statement, adding, "That's why my AI for America roadmap is designed to make sure this powerful technology benefits all Americans, not just a few big companies." "As AI companies thrive, they must be good partners and invest in our workers, our economy, and our energy future. This will guarantee that America remains the global leader in AI innovation, setting the standard for responsible technology development."

Kelly is not the only Arizona lawmaker to bring attention to AI. Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) has similarly spoken about the potential for AI to audit the Pentagon last May.

In December, the late Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) expressed concern over the use of AI in making decisions on immigration cases, which he said lacked proper human oversight and thereby made biased decisions.

More recently, State Representatives Nick Kupper (R-25) and Julie Willoughby (R-13) railed against a provision of the "Big Beautiful Bill" which allocates $500 million to modernize government functions with the help of AI and automation, but at the cost of preventing individual states from enforcing their own standards on the development of AI.

In July, Kelly introduced the bipartisan Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, which requires the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create a series of voluntary guidelines for election offices addressing the potential benefits and risks of AI in election administration, cybersecurity, information sharing about elections, and the spread of election-related disinformation.