Have You Had Fun at AI Summer Camp Yet?
As August wraps up, we’re here to reintroduce ourselves and drop you a summary of this summer’s AI news.
These last few weeks of August recess feel like the big, final breath before crossing the starting line of a marathon. The rest of 2025 is going to be busy, and I want to be the first to tell you, “hey - you’ve got this.” I’m also here to remind you that you have a ton of tools and resources at your disposal to maximize your impact. Before we dive into a spotlight of the fun we’ve been having this summer watching many of you explore our AI Summer Camp for Congressional staff, I wanted to take a moment to re-introduce this newsletter for newcomers.
Hi! I’m Aubrey and I’m part of the team of prior Congressional staffers at the nonpartisan, nonprofit POPVOX Foundation. We have a mission of helping democratic institutions keep pace in a rapidly changing world. This means that we not only encourage Congress to invest in itself and its staff, but we partner with parliaments around the world in adopting better technology and best practices.
Over the last decade, Congress has been in a golden age of modernization, and the institution — particularly the House — has made drastic improvements as a workplace and in adopting tools to improve service to constituents. But there is always more work to be done!
We’ve created this newsletter, Future Proofing Congress, as a place for us to celebrate the good that's taking place, share information on what could be done next, and help you — those in Congress — feel empowered to be innovators every day.
We’re glad you’re here and are ever grateful for you taking the time to skim what we pull together for you. My inbox is always open, so don’t hesitate to send me a note! I would love to meet you over coffee at the shiny new Longworth Starbucks or at Cups.
Lastly, massive kudos are in order for all the Members and staff who have been recognized as winners of the 2025 Congressional Management Foundation’s Democracy Awards. Congratulations to you and your teams!
In this month’s newsletter:
AI Summer Camp - a self-led, on-demand adventure
Summer news wrap up on all things AI
New AI resources for Chiefs of Staff
International Fix: How parliaments are adapting to digital transformation and AI
Stay in the Game: A clean desk is a happy desk
Warmly,
Aubrey Wilson
Director of Government Innovation
POPVOX Foundation
Don’t Miss The Fun: AI Summer Camp
Just because kids are heading back to school doesn’t mean summer is over for the rest of us. There is still time to spice up your workflow with some adventure! Go grab a buddy and embark on AI Summer Camp, a self-led, on-demand collection of quests to help you explore the possibilities of how institution-approved GenAI tools can be used by you and every member of your team, both in DC and the district.
Summer News Wrap-Up on All Things AI
There has been a lot of hype about artificial intelligence over the last two years and we’ve seen a cycle of boom-and-bust regarding its attention in newscycles and policy agendas. Today, it is clear that AI technologies are here to stay, but we’ll be the first to admit that it's challenging to keep up on the news about this emerging technology. Here is a collection of developments, announcements, and news stories from this summer that we think are worth taking note of:
OpenAI has released GPT-5, its newest model with advanced deep research, coding, and safety features. So far, feedback from users has been a mixed bag.
Just how many people use GenAI? OpenAI recently shared that users submit an average of 2.5 billion prompts a day to ChatGPT. US-based users account for 330 million of those. For context, there are an estimated 14 billion Google searches daily.
GSA has approved multiple commercially-available GenAI products — including Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT — to be added to its Multiple Award Schedule. This move is the first step in streamlining federal agency procurement and use of these tools.
Have you heard of AI agents? Anthropic recently published its Framework For Developing Safe and Trustworthy Agents and the post is an approachable, educational read for anyone interested in getting caught up to speed.
Shoutout to the City of Huntsville, Alabama for piloting a new program where AI-supported cameras attached to the city’s garbage trucks are assisting in identifying concerns related to public works, landscape management, and property neglect.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is also making waves with the use of GenAI. Governor Youngkin signed an EO in July directing agentic GenAI to be used to review state regulations to identify any unnecessary provisions. This write-up by AEI’s Will Rinehart summarizes other actions taken in VA and proposes a list of additional ways AI can be used by governments to affect rulemaking and regulatory processes.
Where is your state in its AI readiness? Code For America maintains a Government AI Landscape Analysis interactive dashboard with insights into all 50 states.
For the first time since 2017, NIST has released updated guidelines on digital identity proofing, authentication, and federation. These guidelines are not only used by the government, but are also reference points for many NGOs. Also noteworthy: GSA is exploring how to launch digital mobile drivers licenses (mDLs) through Login.gov by March of next year.
The body of a hiker who went missing over a year ago has been recovered thanks to the use of AI in analyzing over 2,600 frames taken by a drone.
Microsoft, the French culture ministry’s heritage institute, and the startup Iconem launched a project to create a digital twin of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, historic opera sets, and millions of artifacts to increase accessibility and preserve them for future generations.
Google DeepMind has announced the creation and launch of Aeneas, a GenAI model specialized in translating and contextualizing ancient inscriptions, to aid historians in accessing resources and identifying parallels to restore fragmented texts.
The first drugs completely designed by AI are on the verge of progressing to human clinical trials.
To end with a light note and fun AI use case, government employees in Australia used AI to create a collection of songs about working in the public sector. Track 7 is a personal favorite, and for all you MS Team’s users out there, track 3 is also a jam.
Noteworthy: Although this update isn’t directly AI-related, House staff should take note that WhatsApp has recently been deemed unsafe for download on House official devices. See the Cybersecurity page on HouseNet for more information.
New Resources for Chiefs of Staff
Many Congressional offices are beginning to explore — in earnest — how AI tools can enhance internal operations and streamline service to constituents. When talking to chiefs of staff, we heard the call for a couple key resources and are excited to share a:
Congressional Office’s Guide to Building and Using Custom GPTs,
A Primer for Legislative Staff on Understanding AI-Powered Deep Research Tools
These, along with on-demand training videos and additional resources can be found on our website. Looking for something in particular? Let us know! We’re adding new resources and training regularly.
International “Fix”- Insights from the Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies
Democracies and parliaments around the world are rethinking how they keep pace with accelerating technological and geopolitical change. In that spirit, more than 120 researchers and parliamentary staff from 30 countries convened in Athens for the 4th Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies in June. POPVOX Foundation's Dr. Beatriz Rey summarized the key takeaways in her newsletter ModParl and to no surprise, AI was a topic discussed.
For more news from international legislatures, subscribe to our Modern Parliament (“ModParl”) newsletter.
Stay in the Game: A clean desk is a happy desk
Research shows that cluttered workspaces can increase cortisol levels and make it harder to focus, while an organized desk promotes mental clarity and reduces decision fatigue. When your physical environment is calm, your mind follows suit – and in the fast-paced world of Capitol Hill, every bit of mental bandwidth counts.
Start by tackling one small section at a time rather than attempting a complete overhaul, which can feel overwhelming and lead to procrastination. For those stacks of lengthy reports and briefings that seemed to multiply overnight, consider digitizing them and using an institutionally-approved AI tool to create concise summaries – you'll free up physical space while making that information more searchable and actionable. Remember: you're not just organizing papers, you're creating a workspace that is setting you up for success as you return from August recess.
Have a favorite self-care tip you’d like to share? Email us!
About POPVOX Foundation
POPVOX Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that helps democratic institutions keep pace with a rapidly changing world. Through publications, events, prototypes and technical assistance, the organization helps public servants and elected officials better serve their constituents and make better policy.
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