What If Government Grabbed the Wheel on AI and Used It To Help Working Families?

It has long been a pet peeve of mine that elected leaders and Congress lack curiosity about new technologies. They are often afraid to understand emerging innovations in their early stages or to explore adaptation and adoption with any real zeal or curiosity. This is truly confounding.

We’ve seen this pattern time and again. Over the past forty years, Congress has been late to the Internet revolution, slow to embrace social media, untraditional media broadcasting, and data privacy. Now, they are very late to the artificial intelligence (AI) explosion, despite it being one of the most transformative technological advances in history. This neglect doesn’t even account for breakthroughs in medical technology like stem cells and immunology.

Today, let’s focus on AI. Once again, Congress is late. They missed the early opportunities to shape social media and now face a runaway train, called AI.

AI is arguably one of the most life-altering innovations ever created. Interestingly, neither Republicans nor Democrats seem genuinely interested in understanding AI or finding ways to harness it to benefit the public.
What if elected leaders actually got in front of this innovation wave and became leaders in AI? What if they helped shape the conversation and alleviated the fears most Americans have about AI? What if they developed actionable policies to address issues like inequality, affordability, economic imbalance, educational applications, and beyond?
Let’s start at the beginning…
Most surveys show that Americans believe AI will take away jobs, spread misinformation, and harm our education system. But there is more to the story.

Why is the U.S. Afraid of AI?
Fears about AI stem from several interconnected concerns:

• Job Displacement: Many worry that AI automation will replace human workers across industries, leading to unemployment and economic instability.
• Loss of Control: There is apprehension about AI systems acting unpredictably or exceeding human understanding, raising fears of losing control over advanced technologies.
• Ethical and Moral Concerns: AI decision-making, especially in sensitive areas like criminal justice or healthcare, prompts fears about bias, discrimination, and accountability.
• Privacy Violations: AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of personal data fuels concerns over surveillance, data breaches, and erosion of privacy.
• Autonomous Weapons: The prospect of AI-powered military technology raises fears of autonomous weapons acting without human oversight, increasing the risk of conflicts or misuse.
• Dehumanization: Relying on AI in social and personal domains can reduce human interaction, empathy, and the social fabric.
• Existential Risks: Some worry that superintelligent AI could surpass human intelligence and pose a threat to humanity’s survival.
• Lack of Regulation: Uncertainty about how to govern or control AI fuels fears of unchecked development and potential misuse by malicious actors.

Overall, these fears reflect deep concerns about safety, ethics, economic stability, and the fundamental question of how AI will shape the future of human society.

What Should Democrats Do to Lead on AI and Help America?
Here’s what a robust policy framework could look like:
1. Alleviate Fears and Educate the Public
Create informational resources for workers, families, and schools explaining how AI is being used and how to integrate it into daily life—delivered through workplaces and educational institutions.
2. Support for Affordable Childcare
AI can optimize childcare management—matching parents with providers, streamlining enrollment, and monitoring safety and development. This can make quality daycare more accessible and affordable.
3. Job Training and Upskilling
Use AI to personalize job training programs, identify skills gaps, and recommend tailored educational pathways—helping workers adapt to changing job markets, especially in industries affected by automation or upskill them into either a new version within their field or a different field. This is not about turning everyone into a programmer - that will not work. This is about finding new areas of employment and new TYPES of jobs.
4. Improve Healthcare Access
Support AI-powered telemedicine, diagnostics, and health monitoring to expand healthcare access, particularly in underserved areas, reducing costs and ensuring timely care.
5. Enhance Social and Financial Support
Automate eligibility assessments and benefits distribution for programs like unemployment, food assistance, and housing support—reducing delays and errors to get aid to families faster.
6. Promote Flexible Work Arrangements
Use AI analysis to incentivize remote work policies, making jobs more adaptable to family needs, reducing commute times, and improving work-life balance.
7. Data-Driven Policy Making
Analyze data on family needs, employment, and social service usage to inform targeted interventions. This ensures resources are allocated efficiently and effectively.
8. Support Educational Tools for Children
AI-powered learning tools can provide personalized educational support for children, aiding with homework, language skills, and special education needs.
9. Improve Safety and Security
AI systems can enhance neighborhood safety, monitor hazards, and support emergency responses, creating safer environments for families.
10. Regulating AI

It’s crucial to develop guidelines for AI companies and workplaces, ensuring ethical use and best practices are implemented across sectors. Governments, schools, and employers can work together to establish effective, replicable standards.
This can be done. It is about will to get it done. I know which adults I want at the wheel. We all can pressure the folks who we would like to be in charge.
I will say this: the party or team that connects the dots on AI and working families, wins.
I know where my calls will go this week, hope you do too.