FAS Supports the Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement Act
The Federation of American Scientists enthusiastically supports the proposed Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement Act, a bipartisan effort led by Representatives Mark Takano (CA-39), Sean Casten (IL-6), Bill Foster, (IL-11), Don Beyer (VA-8), and Jay Obernolte (CA-23).
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/, as the Congressional Office of Technology in order to restore Congress’ capacity to confront emerging issues in science and technology.
“There is no better time than the present to reboot the mission of the OTA with the proposed Congressional Office of Technology. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the assumptions on which policymaking rests faster than policymakers can build their own expertise,” says Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer of FAS. “We applaud this bipartisan effort and their leadership decision, which will assist policymakers in making transparent, evidence-based decisions that are as forward-looking as possible.”
Unlike the Government Accountability Office, which is primarily concerned with evaluation of ongoing programs, and the Congressional Research Service, which must provide rapid information on all legislative topics before Congress, the proposed Congressional Office of Technology will provide both a fast-track response pathway for emerging technological policy challenges as well as the capacity for deeper, more comprehensive assessments on long-term technological issues in society.
“What is exciting about the Congressional Office of Technology is not just about making science more accessible for Congress. The Congressional Office of Technology will be a mechanism to build trust in evidence because it gives a format where both parties are involved in governance and will provide space to debate issues transparently and in the open, ultimately enabling better policy,” says Dr. Erica Goldman, Director of Policy Entrepreneurship at FAS.
“Congress moves at the speed of trust. Now, more than ever, is the time for more evidence-based expertise that lawmakers can trust. The Congressional Office of Technology Improvement and Enhancement Act is an opportunity for lawmakers to start from a place of shared understanding about the generational implications of emerging technologies like AI and quantum. We must equip our policymakers with tools commensurate with the ever-growing challenge of right-sizing technology’s role in society,” says Gil Ruiz, Director of Government Affairs at FAS.
For more information, contact Gil Ruiz at GRuiz@FAS.org.
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/.
If Congress needs help understanding the risks and rewards of a piece of technology, they shouldn’t have to rely solely on the sparknotes from a salesman. The rub is much simpler: Congress needs nerds.
If we set up the new OTA to do its job well, members will see it as the first stop to see what issues are lurking around the corner. They will bring their questions early. And they will keep coming back for more.
Even the best-designed policy rests on assumptions about who will staff it, how it will be funded, whether the responsible institutions have ever coordinated, and if the goals are achievable.