The Cost Of The Future: U.S. Senate Hearings On Artificial Intelligence Governance, 2026

As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly embedded in national defense networks, financial markets, public infrastructure, and global communication platforms, the United States Senate has convened an emergency joint session of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Armed Services. In 2026, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence has outpaced regulatory guardrails, raising profound questions about safety, democratic accountability, and international security.

A chorus of competing voices has entered the national conversation. Private technology firms promote rapid innovation and expanded capabilities. Whistleblowers raise concerns about untested systems and opaque decision making. Academic experts warn of unpredictable behaviors and long term societal consequences. Foreign diplomats call for international standards and global cooperation. Together, these perspectives place the Senate at the center of a pivotal moment. Senators must confront the dual nature of artificial intelligence. It offers economic transformation and unparalleled strategic advantage, yet carries risks of workforce upheaval, widespread algorithmic bias, societal manipulation, systemic failures, and the emergence of autonomous systems that operate without effective human oversight.

Delegates in this committee will shape the United States strategic response to a rapidly evolving technological frontier. Through legislation, investigative hearings, and crisis briefings, delegates will weigh the costs and benefits of regulation, evaluate the role of federal oversight, assess national security implications, and negotiate the place of the United States in the emerging global framework governing artificial intelligence.

This committee will operate as a hybrid, combining legislative procedure with occasional crisis elements. Delegates should prepare for real time developments, classified leaks, technical malfunctions, international incidents, and testimony from major corporate and scientific figures as they navigate one of the most consequential debates of the twenty-first century.


  • Awa-Bilan Amarreh

    COMMITTEE CHAIR

    Awa-Bilan Amarreh is a sophomore from Minneapolis, MN, studying Global Affairs. She speaks English, Somali, and French. At Yale, she is a member of the competitive travel Model UN Team at Yale known as MUNTY, where she also serves on the team's executive board.

    She is also a member of Fashion Lifestyle at Yale, Yale's Black Pre-Law Society, and the official hostess of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Outside of school, she is a signed model and an active fashion lover. In her free time, you can find her reading a good book, finding a new coffee shop/restaurant, or hanging out with her friends.