Key facts
- The Tech Oversight Project urged Democrats to schedule oversight hearings with leading tech executives early in the new Congress.
- The memo called on Democrats to name AI safety champions to committee leadership roles and refuse AI super PAC money.
- It proposed comprehensive social media and AI safety legislation and new requirements on how data center developers handle energy costs.
- The memo also proposed restrictions on bailouts for AI companies.
- The group described the midterms as the first AI and tech accountability election, per the memo.
The Tech Oversight Project, a tech watchdog group, shared a memo with The Hill on Wednesday setting out what it wants Democrats to do in the first 100 days of the new Congress. The group described the midterms as the first AI and tech accountability election.
Sacha Haworth, the group's founder and CEO, wrote that the worst thing Democrats could do now is return to business as usual with Big Tech. She called on the new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate to schedule oversight hearings with leading tech executives quickly, name AI safety champions to committee leadership roles and pledge to refuse AI super PAC money.
The memo also lists comprehensive social media and AI safety legislation, new requirements for how data center developers handle energy costs, and restrictions on bailouts for AI companies. It said such measures could draw bipartisan support or force Republicans to go on the record with votes, while acknowledging the difficulty of legislating in the new Congress.