On the A.I. Policy:
Federal Approach and Current Landscape

Opening Remarks by
Adam BRICKER, Chairman of the Bons-Ai.Org
Virtually delivered at the LMGlobal.Org’s panel on November 15, 2025.

[LMGlobal.Org] The US currently relies on a patchwork of federal laws, executive orders, agency guidance, and state regulations for AI oversight. There is no comprehensive federal law dedicated solely to AI, with the federal government instead focusing on: (3)
• Voluntary standards for risk management (such as NIST frameworks). (3)
• Enforcement of anti-discrimination and civil rights laws where AI is used. (3)
• National security provisions to protect infrastructure and competitiveness. (4, 3)

Recent executive actions have prioritized rapid AI innovation and deregulation, while ongoing congressional debates focus on regulating high-risk applications and supporting fairness, transparency, and consumer rights. Examples include: 5, 6, 1, 3.
• The AI Research Innovation and Accountability Act, which would mandate transparency and reporting for high-risk AI systems. (1)
• Training requirements and governance standards for federal workers using AI. (3)
Expert and Policy Recommendations
Experts recommend that regulation should:
• Incentivize independent red-teaming and external audits of AI systems, especially high impact ones. (2)
• Promote a market for compliance and standards-based oversight, including third-party evaluations. (7, 2)
• Focus compliance and assessment efforts on applications with the greatest risks, such as healthcare, employment, and financial services. (8, 3)
• Prohibit use of high-impact AI systems without proactive protections, requiring upfront risk assessments and transparency before deployment. (9)

State-Level Initiatives and Challenges

States are currently leading with stronger regulations for specific high-risk sectors (like employment, healthcare, and consumer protection). But this results in a fragmented compliance landscape that complicates operations for businesses across state lines. Fortunately, there are ongoing discussions in Congress about federal preemption to harmonize rules at the national level and avoid legal uncertainty. (6, 10, 11, 12, 3)

Blah blah blah. Yes, all of that was co-created with the help of AI, and others here are far more accomplished to discuss this aspect of AI regulation. I now seek a different tack, without the aid of AI:

Strategic Regulatory Priorities

Use sector-specific policy guidance and voluntary compliance frameworks, especially in domains like healthcare, education, financial services, and criminal justice. (13, 7)
Quickly enact targeted rules for bias, discrimination, transparency, and consumer notification for AI systems making consequential decisions. (9, 7, 3)
Expand civil rights enforcement and mandate disclosure of AI impacts on individuals. (3)
Build government capacity to evaluate and audit AI, not just depend on private sector claims. (2, 9)
A pragmatic regulatory approach should aim to maximize innovation and competitiveness while ensuring responsible risk management, transparency, and protection of civil rights in key domains. Sector-specific standards, impact assessments for high-risk systems, coordinated federal-state rules, and the incorporation of independent audits and red-teaming will be essential in shaping effective AI oversight. (7, 2, 9, 1, 3)

One of the most difficult challenges we all face in life is to avoid making “to do” lists and instead create “to be” lists. To address the most important question in life: to whom and to what do I want to spend my finite time, treasures, and talents? Today, you will meet men and women who exemplify life-giving answers to that question. Specifcally, these men and women have harkened to a voice that called them out of a zone of comfort, put them on the edge of adventure, and following a calling to make their lives a blessing to themselves in a manner making them justly renowned. They lead their lives in such a way as to maximize the probability of creating something of lasting value – bringing abundance to their communities.

“Our best course is to invest in people.”

When the complexity of our challenges materially exceeds the sophistication of our solutions, our best course is to invest in people. That is what we are doing here today. Investing in you and seeking that you would be the light we expect to see in this world.
Mark Manson said it well… “Competence is how good you are when there is something to gain. Character is how good you are when there is nothing to gain. People will reward you for competence. But people will only love you for your character.”

That’s what we need now. Men and women of character with the critical thinking skills, leadership abilities, and wisdom – that earned, practical judgement as Aristotle said – to guide us in such a time and place as this. Today, we have assembled such men and women.

Why these remarks?
Because in the age of AI, we need character-centered humanity more than ever. AI holds such promise – I truly believe that. But AI also has the power to rob us of our character, just as social media robbed so many people of the joy there is in living. But, if we leverage AI to its fullest potential, like all technology, it should be to enable us all to accelerate our “to be” and bring joy to our lives. This should be the aim of all life’s endeavors, and its technology: To pursue the four sources of joy, and certainly not to rob us of it. So, what are the four sources of joy?

• First, to see the fruits of your own labor. If something is given for free without a personal human connection, that’s usually what it is intrinsically worth. Nothing.

• Second, to learn – Use AI to bring accelerated learning such as through masterful personal tutoring. Don’t let AI bring the illusion of knowledge. Earn it.

• Third, to be in a loving, safe environment – For example, use AI to role play conversations so that in a real human engagement you can be the best version of yourself. What is the gift you want to give your future self? The more comfortable you are with yourself, the less you need the approval of others.

• And the final source of joy – to be of service to others. AI certainly has the power to enhance our service to others, but do not let it rob you of your humanity in so doing. I very much respect the research of Yuval Harari about how social media, with its near-infinite number of channels, drives people’s echo chamber and thus their attention and behaviors to extremes. This is not healthy.
We must double-down on redesigning education to leverage the personalization of AI, but also to define rules of officially tolerated conduct. Else, I promise, it will rob millions of people of their joy. Their humanity.

The question is, how do we do that? Who should governments regulate AI?

This is so much I wish to say on this matter, but I will keep my remarks to just three points:
First, we must recognize that governing AI is a complex matter, not just a complicated one. Thus, it requires the wisdom of technologists of course, but also the wisdom of economists, politicians, philosophers, storytellers, and ethicists. I included two specialists in that list that might surprise you. Technologists are an obvious choice. But why economists and masterful storytellers? Let me clarify what I believe an economist does – they analyze and drive human behaviors in reaction to the velocity of money. Want people to save more? Raise savings rates. What more private investment in the economy? Print money or lower interest rates.

AI is now driving the greatest velocity of money (transfer of wealth) – and power shifts – in human history. We need the wisdom of economists to understand this global weirding. As an analogy, I don’t care if you believe in man-made global warming, but you have to accept the evidence of global weirding. And trust me, things are about to get weird with respect to AI as well.

And why did I mention storytellers, and not just marketers? We are the story we tell ourselves. So, what story are you telling yourself… and others about AI? I contend that humans have learned more through stories than any other mechanism. You won’t remember what I said here, but you will remember how I made you feel… and if I had time for story, you’d remember that as well. But our story around AI must be one centered on trust, as Charles will discuss. And one centered on how power and money are used to enhance social order, improving the human condition, and adhering to the five ethical intelligence principles Dr. Bruce Weinstein set forth. Curiously, I think the Chinese are leading with this regard, not the “free west.”

Second, since regulating AI is a complex problem, not just a complicated one, it requires a special regulatory approach. AI might even be considered a “wicked problem,” which means that it requires a “sense and respond” framework – meaning that if and when regulations are proposed it needs to reflect that, for example:
• There is no definitive formulation: The problem is not clearly defined, and different stakeholders can frame it in various ways.​
• There is no stopping rule: There is no clear point at which a wicked problem is considered “solved”; work can always continue.​
• Solutions are not true or false: Solutions are judged as better or worse, not correct or incorrect; subjective value judgments play a significant role.​
• There are irreversible actions: Every solution attempt is essentially a “one-shot operation”; implemented solutions have consequences that cannot be fully undone.​

Therefore, I strongly recommend that governments view this regulatory endeavor as an “innovation” endeavor. Start by setting success criteria centered around the four sources of joy, and other criteria, of course. Then, as will all innovation pursuits, conduct experiments on an on-going basis to learn as fast and as cheap as possible. Interestingly, I believe AI can be of immense service here. And then create “respond if” criteria to give early warning signs as to when and how to change course. For change course we must, and often.

My final recommendation for governments seeking to regulate AI. When creating regulations – as with all regulations – make sure it makes sense to an eighth grader and then ask a 12th grade class in Kansas to re-write it so us common mortals can understand it. Also, include AI as Mandatory General Populace Education – just as rhetoric, critical thinking, and civics (e.g., difference between a republic and a democracy) should be. This education must address the cultural norms through storytelling. What is culture? Well, I like Seth Godin’s response here: “people like us do things this way.”
And storytelling? Help people learn how to define, pursue, and perfect their humanity in service to others.
Now, let me introduce Charles Fracchia...

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References:

1. https://www.whitecase.com/insight-our-thinking/ai-watch-global-regulatory-tracker-united-states
2. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/09/how-to-regulate-artificial-intelligence-ai/ https://gdprlocal.com/ai-regulations-in-the-us/
3. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/strategic-federal-actions-aim-to-strengthen-ai-and-energy-infra structure/
4. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI Action-Plan.pdf
5. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/15/us-federal-ai-regulation-is-on-the-way-sen-marsha-blackburn.html https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/mit-experts-recommend-policies-safe-effective-use-ai https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10977140/
6. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/five-points-of-bipartisan-agreement-on-how-to-regulate-ai/
7. https://www.bclplaw.com/en-US/events-insights-news/us-state-by-state-artificial-intelligence-legislatio n-snapshot.html
8. https://technical.ly/civics/ai-regulation-broadband-breakfast-trump-plan/ https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-different-states-are-approaching-ai/
9. https://ai100.stanford.edu/gathering-strength-gathering-storms-one-hundred-year-study-artificial-inte lligence-ai100 2021 1/sq7
10. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48555 https://www.ai.gov https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-ai-governance-legislation-tracker/ https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-federal-ai-governance/ 11. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/
12. https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation
13. https:// www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/preventing-woke-ai-in-the-federal-governm ent/