AI policy

AI policy resources

The following list is meant as a starting point for someone learning about the field and recent developments; there are many great resources we were not able to include, and recommend doing your own research into particular topics you’re interested in.

AI federal agency profiles

These guides outline specific federal agencies working on AI policy issues, including lists of relevant offices, major policy developments, and job opportunities.

AI-relevant policy fellowships

The following fellowship programs are especially relevant for AI policy work (see also our full fellowship database for 50+ opportunities & this White House webpage):

1. Horizon Fellowship (Horizon Institute for Public Service) – a 6-24 month full-time US emerging technology policy fellowship facilitating job placements in the US executive branch, Congress, and think tanks for early- and mid-career individuals. (Note that the Horizon Fellowship and this website are both projects of the Horizon Institute for Public Service.)
2. AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships (American Association for the Advancement of Science) – a 12-month fellowship in DC with four separate tracks, that places fellows within the executive branch, judicial branch, legislative branch, or in a nonprofit. The fellowship is for individuals with a doctoral-level degree. (There is also a similar California-specific S&T policy fellowship.)
3. FAI Conservative AI Policy Fellowship (Foundation for American Innovation)  – a six-week, part-time (work-compatible) paid program for conservative early- and mid-career professionals in DC interested in AI and emerging technology. Fellows receive mentorship, gain specialized expertise, and build their networks through weekly lunch sessions, evening workshops, and a weekend retreat.
4. Congressional Innovation Fellowship (TechCongress) – a 10-12 month full-time fellowship for early and mid-career professionals involving placements with a Member of Congress or a Congressional Committee.
5. RAND Center on AI, Security, and Technology Fellowship – a six-month fellowship, renewable for up to three years, for researchers working on AI, national security, and technology policy; positions may be full- or part-time.
6. STPI Science Policy Fellowship (Institute for Defense Analyses) – a 24-month, full-time fellowship for recent bachelor’s or master’s graduates, in which fellows work with teams of researchers to support S&T policy-related tasks
7. US Google Public Policy Fellowship – a paid summer fellowship for undergraduate, graduate, and law students at technology-policy host organizations.
8. NobleReach Scholars (NobleReach Foundation) – a 1-2 year full-time technology policy fellowship in government or private industry for early-career individuals
9. Science & Technology Policy Fellowship (Aspen Tech Policy Hub) – a paid, in-residence program that trains science and technology experts to develop practical policy projects.
10. Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) – a 12-week full-time science and technology policy training and networking program in Washington DC for early career for graduate degree holders and current graduate students
11. Paragon Fellowship – a part-time (5 hours/week) fellowship aiming to “connect students with opportunities in the science and tech policy space [by] researching and writing a policy brief on key issues for their state and local governments”.
12. GovAI Research Scholars (Centre for the Governance of AI) – a one-year visiting position  supporting AI governance researchers and practitioners in policy research, social science, technical research, and applied projects. Scholars gain mentorship, professional development, and opportunities to engage with policymakers.
13. GovAI Research Fellows (Centre for the Governance of AI) – a full-time, two-year renewable position for researchers working on AI governance topics like regulation, international governance, and risk assessment. Fellows receive mentorship, project funding, and access to a broad policy network, with opportunities for policy advising and direct engagement with policymakers.
14. GovAI Summer and Winter Fellowships (Centre for the Governance of AI) – a paid, three-month, London-based program for early-career individuals or professionals new to AI governance to conduct independent research under expert mentorship.
15. IAPS AI Policy Fellowship (Institute for AI Policy and Strategy) – a paid, remote-first, four-month program where participants learn from AI policy experts, develop research skills, and support policy research under expert supervision, including an in-person 2-week period in Washington, DC.
16. LawAI Summer Research Fellowships (Institute for Law & AI) – a paid, remote-first summer program for law students, professionals, and academics to conduct research on AI, law, and policy with expert mentorship, including an in-person week in Washington, DC.
17. Technologist-in-Residence Fellowship (Council on Foreign Relations) – a 10-month full-time, paid research fellowship at the intersection of emerging technologies and foreign policy (highly competitive; strong preference for a candidate “currently working at a private-sector technology company”)
18. Emerging Scholars in Technology Policy (Princeton University, Center for Information Technology Policy) – a 2-year tech policy research position with coursework and mentoring
19. Academic-Year Externships (Center for Democracy & Technology) – an unpaid academic-year long program for college, law, and graduate students with an interest in internet and technology policy, human rights, and/or civil liberties
20. Technology and Geopolitics Fellowship (Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School) – 10-month academic research fellowship at Harvard University for doctoral students, PhD holders, or mid-career professionals, including “employees of government, military, private research institutions…or the private sector who have appropriate personal experience”
21. Global Perspectives: Responsible AI Fellowship (Stimson Center) – “convening stakeholders from developing countries to discuss artificial intelligence, evaluate its impacts around the world, and propose responsible ways forward”
22. Post-Graduate Law Fellowships (Center for AI and Digital Policy) – a program for law school students with a strong interest in AI law and policy to participate in public interest litigation in support of AI and democratic values
23. UNIDIR Women in AI Fellowship (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research) – program for junior to mid-career women diplomats comprising “a week-long, in-person training programme in Geneva, as well as a series of engagements with relevant experts and stakeholders.”
24. Future Impact Group Fellowship – a 5-10 hour/week program matching postgraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds with senior researchers on AI policy projects, including on national and international policy.

Think tanks working on AI policy

While the below list is not comprehensive, we hope it is a useful starting point if you are interested in working at a think tank on AI policy.

• Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET)
• Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT): AI Governance Lab
• Center for a New American Security (CNAS): Technology and National Security
• Foundation for American Innovation (FAI): Technology and Innovation
• Atlantic Council: GeoTech Center
• Abundance Institute
• Aspen Institute: Aspen Digital
• Brookings: Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Technology and International Affairs
• RAND Corporation: AI, Technology and Security Policy Center
• AI Now Institute
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Center for AI and Advanced Technologies, International Security and Strategic Technologies
• Center for American Progress: Artificial Intelligence
• Niskanen Center
• Mercatus Center: Artificial Intelligence
• Manhattan Institute
• Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP)
• New America: Future of Work & the Innovation Economy, Open Technology Institute
• R Street Institute: Technology and Innovation
• Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): Digital and Cyberspace Policy
• Federation of American Scientists (FAS): Technology and Innovation
• Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)
• Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC): Technology
• Wilson Center: Science and Technology Innovation Program
• Information Technology and Industry Foundation (ITIF): Center for Data Innovation
• American Enterprise Institute (AEI): Technology and Innovation, Foreign and Defense Policy
• Centre for the Governance of AI
• Institute for Progress (IFP): Emerging Technology
• Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS)
• Data & Society
• Institute for Law & AI (LawAI)
• Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI)

Congressional committees relevant to AI policy

Since AI policy spans an incredibly wide set of topics, many congressional committees are involved in regulating the technology. For a list of committees most involved in AI policy, see the relevant section in Part 3 of our working in Congress guide.