AI Primers
The AI Primer event series is designed to bolster Congressional understanding of AI, its implications across areas of jurisdiction, and how the world is reacting to its deployment. Each AI Primer features a panel of policy experts and industry leaders, moderated by a SeedAI staff member.
Upcoming Primer
Join us on Thursday, October 30th for our next AI Primer. RSVPs will open on October 1st.
Past Primers
AI Primer: "The American Robotics Revolution"
The rapid pace of AI progress has dramatically increased the capacity for robots to perceive, learn from, and interact with the world. From automated factory floors to humanoid robots and beyond, AI-powered robotics are driving unprecedented productivity gains while creating entirely new industries and applications. This technological leap also raises critical questions about safety protocols, the impact on American workers, ethical deployment, and America's position in the global technology race.
For the U.S. to fully capture the potential of AI and robotics, policymakers must grapple with challenging questions about fostering innovation, strengthening the American workforce, and ensuring robust but flexible oversight for this critical sector. These decisions will fundamentally shape how AI and robotics integrate into American society and economy.
This briefing brings together industry leaders and academic experts to provide congressional staff with practical insights from the front lines of the robotics sector. Drawing from real-world deployment experiences and cutting-edge research, panelists will discuss major developments in the field and how policymakers can help ensure these transformative technologies serve the broader public interest while maintaining America's competitive edge.
Panelists
Professor Howie Choset, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Evan Beard, CEO, Standard Bots
Dr. Athina Kanioura, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, PepsiCo
Moderated by Josh New, Director of Policy, SeedAI
"Transforming K-12 Education with AI"
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform how we teach, how students learn, and how our education system operates. The explosion of new open source and proprietary AI offerings can make education more accessible, personalized, and innovative. Students now have access to powerful tools that enable learning anytime, anywhere.But the promise of AI in education comes with real challenges. Concerns about student data privacy and trust in AI systems continue to slow adoption. As schools and districts look to integrate these technologies, it is essential that policymakers understand the unique opportunities and challenges in this context.
This panel will offer an accessible, timely conversation on how AI is being used in classrooms today, the barriers to responsible adoption, and what’s needed to ensure AI enhances the American education system. Panelists will discuss how AI is being deployed, what’s working, where caution is warranted, and how Congress can support secure, effective, and broadly-adopted AI use in education.
Panelists
Blake Bertuccelli-Booth, Assistant Director of Digital Accessibility Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago, and Founder, Equalify
Vicki Zubovic, Chief External Relations Officer, Khan Academy
Krista D'Amelio, Director of State Government Affairs, Code.org
Moderated by: Josh New, Director of Policy, SeedAI
"The Secret Sauce of AI Development and Deployment"
Being competitive in AI requires more than just access to powerful technology—it means being adept at both developing advanced AI systems and effectively deploying them in real-world applications. However, the processes involved in building AI (training) and using AI (inference) are fundamentally different, each demanding distinct resources, infrastructure, and expertise.
Most importantly, the recipe for the “secret sauce” of AI is shifting rapidly. As more AI inference moves to the edge, as reasoning models become increasingly useful, and as distillation yields capable but more efficient models, the calculus of how computing, energy, and data are assembled and spent is constantly changing.
This conversation will provide an accessible, behind-the-scenes exploration of how AI systems are actually created and implemented. Panelists will discuss how emerging technologies and innovative approaches are shaping the landscape of AI infrastructure, and what these developments imply for the United States' competitive position in the rapidly evolving global AI ecosystem. They’ll also highlight the practical challenges and opportunities encountered along the way.
Panelists
Durga Malladi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Technology Planning & Edge Solutions, Qualcomm
Irene Solaiman, Head of Global Policy, Hugging Face
Tim Fist, Director of Emerging Technology Policy, Institute for Progress
Moderated by: Josh New, Director of Policy, SeedAI
