Media
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WASHINGTON AI NETWORK in the news:
… Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a D.C. crowd this week that the Biden-era AI Safety Institute would be rebranded as the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, as a “place where people voluntarily go to drive analysis and standards.”
“As we move from large language models to large quantitative models, and we add all these different things, you want a place to go,” Lutnick said. “We say, has someone checked out this model? Is this a safe model? Is this a model that we understand? How do I do this? And we’re not going to regulate it. We are going to enhance the voluntary models of what great American innovation is all about.”
Lutnick’s remarks came at the inaugural AI Honors this week, held by the Washington AI Network at the Waldorf Astoria.
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Fortune: Big AI isn’t just lobbying Washington—it’s joining it
…. This week, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was a big part of bringing Silicon Valley and Washington together. I attended an AI Expo that served up his worldview, which sees artificial intelligence, business, geopolitics, and national defense as interconnected forces reshaping America’s global strategy (which will be chock-full of drones and robots if he gets his way). I also dressed up for a gala event hosted by the Washington AI Network, with sponsors including OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as a keynote speech from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick …
… At the gala, Lutnick made the stakes explicit: “We must win the AI race, the quantum race—these are not things that are open for discussion.” To that end, he added, the Trump administration is focused on building another terawatt of power to support the massive AI data centers sprouting up across the country. “We are very, very, very bullish on AI,” he said.
The audience—packed with D.C.-based policymakers and lobbyists from Big AI—applauded. Washington may not be a tech town, but if this week was any indication, Silicon Valley and the nation’s capital are learning to speak the same language.
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New York Times: If Elon Musk and President Trump Divorce, Who Gets Silicon Valley?
… Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a room of A.I. leaders, lobbyists and lawmakers this week that the administration would invite foreign investment into A.I. data centers, reversing Biden administration restrictions.
He was speaking at an event hosted by Washington AI Network and sponsored by Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Microsoft and TikTok, where he announced the administration would rename the U.S. Safety Institute to the Center for AI Standards and Innovation to emphasize growth of the industry over regulation.
“America must lead in A.I., and that means embracing innovation while securing our infrastructure,” Mr. Lutnick said. “The new Center for AI Standards and Innovation will help ensure developers have clear, trusted guidelines — without unnecessary regulation — so we can stay ahead in the global A.I. race.”
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Meet the Future: DC’s new AI Prom arrives with AI and astronauts
The AI Honors Gala on Tuesday night was more than a black-tie affair — it was a declaration: artificial intelligence has officially arrived as Washington’s next power center.
Held at the Waldorf Astoria and founded by Tammy Haddad’s Washington AI Network, the event brought together lawmakers, defense officials, tech giants, Vatican ethicists, and top scientists under one soaring chandelier — with sponsorships from OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and more. (It unfolded on the sidelines of the AI+Expo.)
—> THE SCENE: Red carpet arrivals were flanked with costumed astronauts… 10-ft. electric robots danced at the Waldorf… Boston Robotics robo-dog performed dog tricks… Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) introduced Pope Leo XIV’s(of Delco) AI guy, who offered a special tribute from the Vatican…
—> MEET THE FUTURE: We predict this event will become the dominant technology event in Washington of the year. In a city where flash can often drown out substance, the AI Honors managed to blend both — elevating the leaders actually shaping America’s AI policy, innovation, and ethics. As the stakes surrounding AI escalate — from national security to labor, healthcare, and democracy itself — the need for a future-facing convening that crosses political lines and institutional silos is urgent. This is it. Also —> it was fun.
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Politico: AI crashes Washington’s biggest party weekend
A week before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, Tammy Haddad was buried in guest lists. For 31 years running, the Washington media maven has hosted a famous Saturday garden brunch, a tony affair whose coveted invites go to prominent journalists, elected officials and Hollywood stars. (“People have gotten married from attending my brunch!”)
But at that moment, she was trying to get a pair of Meta smart glasses to play Beyoncé.
Haddad is skilled at placing herself at the center of the conversations that grip Washington; a TV news veteran and event organizer with a vast Rolodex of people plugged into any given policy or political debate. And over the past year, she’s plunged into Washington’s latest obsession: artificial intelligence. She’s formed a group called the Washington AI Network, launched an AI-focused podcast and become the social fixer for embassy staffers, corporate executives and D.C. power players looking to tap into the moment’s hottest technology.
“My signature is now T-AI-M-M-Y, but I actually haven’t changed my name yet legally,” Haddad joked last week while walking around the 140-year-old Dupont Circle home, once occupied by Teddy Roosevelt, where her network hosts events. “But the lawyers are working on it, and I’ll get back to you on that.”
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The Hill: AI takes center stage at correspondents’ weekend TGAIFriday Lunch
Washingtonians delved into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) on Friday at the Washington AI Network’s inaugural White House correspondents’ weekend TGAIFriday Lunch.
The event, held at The House at 1229’s headquarters, was presented by Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — and featured demos of the company’s latest technology.
Spotty, Meta’s robot dog, showed off its skills to guests, including moving a penguin plush toy from one table to another and navigating around an employee who blocked its way.
In adjacent rooms, guests tried out Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which now feature multimodal AI capabilities, and the company’s Quest 3 mixed reality VR headsets.
After some mingling and hors d’oeuvres, guests filtered into a room filled with chairs – and some couches – to listen to a conversation between Tammy Haddad, founder of the Washington AI Network, and Joelle Pineau, vice president of AI research at Meta.