This article examines Rep. French Hill's (R-AR) strong influence over artificial intelligence policy in Congress.
As the 119th Congress settles in, the artificial intelligence (AI) policy community is wondering: Who are the lawmakers to watch who have substantial AI policy backgrounds? The Trump administration has clearly laid out its intent to roll back AI governance and regulations through his recent Executive Order on AI. Paired with the current Republican majority in both the House and the Senate, many expect the legislative efforts of Congress to follow suit. This article examines a powerful lawmaker–Rep. French Hill (R-AR)--who is positioned to be a leading force in crafting bipartisan AI policy.
Rep. Hill is a current member of the bipartisan Task Force on AI in the House. He is also the current Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services. Within this committee, he served as the Co-Chair of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence during the 118th Congress. Rep. Hill is a must-watch due to his strong relationship with Silicon Valley, forged in large part by his leadership over the House Financial Services Committee. As Politico reports, Rep. Hill has used this position to become a leading force for policies that expedite and boost the development of AI technologies while maintaining oversight mechanisms, particularly within the financial technologies sector.
Rep. Hill’s speech in July 2024 at the Ripon Society reveals his human-centric and principles-based approach to AI policy. Rep. Hill frames AI as a tool that should augment human roles, not replace them. He emphasizes that caution is paramount when deploying autonomous AI decision-making, particularly in high-stakes financial processes like money lending, asset trading, and insurance. However, Rep. Hill also states that it is the role of financial regulators such as the SEC, CFPB, and HUD to ensure that these systems comply with existing laws instead of creating an entirely new regulatory framework. In other words, he advocates for regulation guided by broad principles rather than rigid rules. This sentiment carries over into his voiced opposition to reactionary regulation of AI technologies. He claims that this could stifle innovation and hinder the growth of the AI sector.
Notably, Rep. Hill has exhibited a willingness to work across the aisle on AI policy, most significantly through the bipartisan Task Force on AI. Launched in February 2024, this group was tasked with examining and offering recommendations on how the United States can maintain its leadership in AI, maximize its benefits, and address its risks. On December 17, 2024, the group released the Bipartisan House Task Force Report on AI. Said Rep. Hill on its release:
“The report released today by AI Task Force Co-Chairs, Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) reflects the immense amount of work by the members and staff to develop guiding principles and policy proposals to ensure that American government, businesses, and households can reap the benefits of responsible AI while managing and ameliorating the many known and possible concerns.”
-Rep. French Hill, December 17, 2024 (Source)
Rep. Hill’s willingness to support a wide range of policy recommendations that balance AI innovation with AI governance makes him well-suited to craft AI policies supported by both parties.
