Announcing the Inaugural Cohort of Big Bets in AI Policy Fellows
Updated: 4 days ago
As Congress and the Administration work to establish an effective national framework to govern AI, a critical consensus is emerging across Capitol Hill, civil society, and communities nationwide: a world-leading American AI Stack cannot endure on hardware and compute power alone.
Building state-of-the-art data centers and securing advanced semiconductor supply chains are essential national imperatives. Yet, an infrastructure built solely on expanding compute capacity remains incomplete without a resilient framework of civic guardrails designed to ensure the safety and security of the American people, unlock broad-based prosperity, and put human agency at the center of technological progress.
To step into this friction and bridge the gap between consumer trust and legislative action, the A-I Policy Forum is proud to announce its inaugural cohort of Big Bets in AI Policy Fellows.
A Non-Partisan Collaboration Hub for High-Impact Solutions
The Big Bets in AI initiative was launched to define a new, enduring American model for AI governance that moves past adversarial rhetoric and translates complex societal challenges into concrete federal policy.
Joining our non-partisan policy lab, this distinguished cohort of senior civil society leaders will develop actionable, bipartisan policy solutions to ensure that American technological leadership goes hand-in-hand with protecting and supporting the American people through this moment of rapid transformation.
"For the United States to lead the frontier of AI and earn public trust, we must establish a resilient policy foundation—built for and with the American people—that ensures public safety, unlocks broad-based prosperity, and places human agency at the center of technological progress." – Alex Roark, CEO, A-I Policy Forum
“This is a moment of extraordinary technological transformation and innovation, and the measure of our success should be whether that progress improves the lives and expands the opportunities of all Americans. I’m pleased to be part of this effort alongside a thoughtful group of policy experts who are asking the hard questions and, more importantly, working toward practical solutions for how we ensure the benefits of AI are broadly shared, people are protected through this transition, and technology ultimately serves the public good.” – Narda Jones, Senior Policy Advisor, Big Bets in AI Fellows
Meet the Big Bets in AI Policy Fellows
The Big Bets in AI initiative is guided by Senior Policy Advisor, Narda Jones, who brings extensive experience across technology governance, legislative strategy, and public interest policy. Under her policy leadership, the inaugural cohort of Senior Fellows represents a broad spectrum of domain expertise across civil rights, consumer protection, national security, and technology policy:
Narda Jones, Senior Policy Advisor – Leading strategic policy direction, cohort alignment, and congressional engagement for the Big Bets in AI initiative.
Amira Dhalla
Director, Cyber Civil Defense, Aspen Digital
Chris Correa
Vice President of Engineering, Code for America
Cody Venzke
Senior Staff Attorney, Privacy, and Technology Project, ACLU
David Kusnet
Author, America Needs a Raise, Speaking American
Elyse Shaw
Director, Education and Labor, Center for Law and Social Policy
Francella Ochillo
Attorney and Policy Leader
Ji Soo Song
Policy Director, AI & EdTech, ExcelinEd
Jonathan Walter
Senior Policy Counsel, Center for Civil Rights & Technology, The Leadership Conference
Micheal Hamm
Education Policy Expert
Marcus Courtney
Co-Convenor, Unemployment InsuranceI Technology Coordinating Coalition
Sabia Prescott
Education State Policy Advisor
Shaping the Future of American AI Governance
Over the coming months, the Big Bets in AI Policy Fellows will publish concrete legislative proposals, brief congressional leadership, and model a more productive public narrative to accurately address the risks and potential benefits of AI while centering the priorities and concerns of the American people.
To kick off this work, the A-I Policy Forum is hosting a special Capitol Hill announcement and panel discussion featuring newly named Senior Fellows alongside technical experts and policy leaders. Together, they will outline practical strategies for a national AI framework that safeguards consumers, strengthens public trust, and secures America's competitive edge.
