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House subcommittee touts AI tools and deliberative forums as ways to reconnect constituents with Congress
Summary
Witnesses at the House Administration subcommittee hearing urged pilots using AI and deliberative town halls to make constituent engagement more responsive and less polarized, while the CAO proposed a house-controlled data lake to allow member offices greater choice in constituent-management tools.
The House Administration Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation heard witnesses Tuesday about using artificial intelligence and structured public forums to improve constituent engagement.
Chairwoman Bice opened the hearing by noting recent CAO efforts to provide copilot licenses and training to House staff, saying "as of today, 150 member offices have licenses," and framing modernization as a way to help offices meet constituents where they are. Witnesses described international and state models and urged a combination of technology and process changes rather than automated public-facing chatbots.
Dr. Michael Neblo, director at the Ohio State University Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA), said new approaches are urgent: "At best, only 1 in 5 contacted their member last year" and "only 13% trust Congress to do what's right." He recommended deliberative town halls that recruit a random sample of…
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