Congresswoman Kat Cammack urges ‘healthy and smart adoption’ of AI

Editor’s note: This article is based on insights from a podcast series. The views expressed in the podcast reflect the speakers’ perspectives and do not necessarily represent those of this publication. Readers are encouraged to explore the full podcast for additional context.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack, representing Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, joined the “Regulating AI” podcast to discuss the challenges and opportunities in artificial intelligence policy. As one of the youngest Republican women in Congress, Cammack chairs the Republican Study Committee’s Emerging Technologies Task Force and has been a vocal advocate for national security, small business growth, and technological innovation.

Cammack began by explaining her early interest in technology policy, noting her unique generational perspective in Congress. “Being one of the younger members in Congress today… I bring the average age in the United States House of Representatives down by… 25 years,” she said. Growing up during the transition from analog to digital, she feels well-placed to “speak both languages” and to help facilitate responsible technology development. She stressed that without foresight, AI could easily slip into a “Wild West” scenario, with “doomsdayers… [wanting] to shut everything down,” which she argued is “terrible for innovation.”

On balancing innovation and safeguards, Cammack highlighted the importance of addressing bias in language models. Citing a recent high-profile case, she said, “I think Gemini rolling out was one of the most disastrous rollouts we’ve seen… you have extreme bias on both sides and you have to… find that sweet spot.” Ethics, she argued, must be central to development: “There are real-world consequences… where there are consequences for models that have deliberate bias or a predetermined outcome.”

READ: Salesforce’ exec Eric Loeb stresses need for unified, multistakeholder AI policy (July 24, 2025)

Cammack warned against a fragmented regulatory environment, pointing to the patchwork of state-level laws emerging in the absence of federal leadership. “AI… is not just interstate commerce. This is global. And so we have an obligation… to establish a national standard.” She cautioned that extreme regulation could create high barriers to entry, benefiting major players like OpenAI and Google while “protecting the space for them” and squeezing out startups. A potential solution, she suggested, is a “national right to compute law” that would provide “enough flexibility for people to compete” while leveling the playing field.

From a national security standpoint, Cammack stressed the need for complementary energy policy to support AI infrastructure. “The energy capability… is enormous… you’re not going to do it off of solar and wind,” she said, calling for an “above-all approach” to energy that supports high compute demands. She praised rapid innovation in chip manufacturing, particularly by companies like Nvidia, and linked domestic manufacturing capacity to tax, energy, and workforce policies.

Cammack also spoke about the Trump administration’s impact on AI investment, contrasting it with the Biden administration’s earlier executive order. “With the rescission of the Biden executive order, President Trump said, ‘we’re going to lead in this space…,’ we’ve seen over five trillion dollars of private investment being announced,” she said. She tied this to broader regulatory reform, citing her Reclaiming the Reins Act, which would require Congressional approval for major regulations and review 20% of existing rules, to ensure “long-term stability of our markets.”

As chair of the Emerging Technologies Task Force, Cammack said her priority is to educate lawmakers and staff on technologies from AI to quantum computing and nanotech. “If you don’t… have a basic understanding of the technology, you have really no business trying to regulate it,” she said. The task force aims to develop legislation that will help sectors “flourish” and ensure that “America leads.”

She also emphasized AI’s potential for rural communities, particularly in agriculture and healthcare. In her district, heavily reliant on farming, AI-driven “see and spray” technology is enabling more precise use of water, herbicides, and fertilizers, assessing each plant “in milliseconds.” This, she explained, “will help our producers to be more productive… and ultimately… trickle down to consumers.” AI-powered robotics are also being used to pick specialty crops in labor-intensive sectors.

READ: Balancing AI innovation and security: Insights from Rob T. Lee on ‘Regulating AI’ (August 13, 2025)

In healthcare, Cammack stressed AI’s ability to augment services in underserved areas. Systems can “read your scans and pick up on things that may have been missed,” helping maximize the reach of medical professionals. She argued these advances can “fill some of those gaps” in rural access to care, and she also sees potential in AI-enabled education to provide equal opportunities regardless of location.

Throughout the conversation, Cammack returned to the theme of encouraging innovation while safeguarding national interests and security. “We have to be prepared and we have to have the infrastructure here,” she said. “Healthy and smart adoption” of AI, she argued, will position the U.S. to lead globally, foster competitiveness, and deliver tangible benefits to communities nationwide.