John Hickenlooper

Military and National Security Uses of AI

Positions on the use of AI in military, intelligence, or national security contexts.

Hickenlooper co-introduced a bipartisan bill with Sen. Eric Schmitt to create Defense Technology Hubs that would support emerging defense technologies, particularly in geospatial intelligence, data fusion, and AI. He stated: 'We cannot deter great power conflict, we cannot protect the American way of life, and we cannot guarantee peace through strength if we cannot build the tools of defense at scale and speed.' This indicates support for AI in military/defense contexts, though no specific statement on autonomous weapons or lethal AI was identified.

AI Regulation Philosophy

A candidate's general stance on regulating AI systems.

Hickenlooper has been one of the most active senators on AI regulation, introducing and advancing multiple bipartisan bills: the VET AI Act (bipartisan with Sen. Capito), which directs NIST to create guidelines for third-party AI audits; the Future of AI Innovation Act (co-introduced with Cantwell, Young, and Blackburn), which establishes NIST standards and AI innovation testbeds; and a 'Trust, but Verify Framework' calling for federal auditing standards and data privacy legislation. He stated: 'AI is moving fast and has the potential to change all of our lives. We have to move just as fast to set sensible guardrails to protect consumers.'

Children's Online Safety

Views on protecting minors from harms related to AI or AI-mediated platforms.

Hickenlooper chaired a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing on protecting consumers from AI deepfakes, explicitly covering incidents where classmates used AI tools to create sexually explicit images of minors. He co-sponsored and celebrated final passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act (signed May 2025), which criminalizes non-consensual intimate imagery including AI-generated deepfakes and requires platforms to remove such content within 48 hours. He also co-sponsored a bill to 'Crack Down on AI Deepfakes, Protect Minors.'

Source: Statement · ross.house.gov

Jobs and Workforce Disruption

Positions on AI-driven job displacement, reskilling programs, unemployment policy, and tax policy for distributing AI-driven wealth.

Hickenlooper chairs the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, which oversees legislation on AI's impact on workers. He and Sen. Mike Braun sent a letter urging the DOL to update Americans on efforts to prepare workers for AI integration. He also joined bipartisan colleagues to urge the BLS and Census Bureau to expand data collection on AI's impact on the U.S. workforce, and previously wrote to President Biden urging workforce preparation for AI, warning to 'leave none behind.'

Deepfakes and AI Fraud

Views on AI-generated misinformation, scam prevention, fraud targeting vulnerable populations, and synthetic media disclosure requirements.

Hickenlooper was a lead sponsor of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which passed Congress on April 28, 2025 and was signed into law on May 19, 2025. The law criminalizes publication of non-consensual intimate AI-generated deepfakes and requires platforms to remove such content within 48 hours. He also chaired a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing on AI deepfakes and fraud, and co-sponsored additional legislation to curb AI deepfakes.

AI Preemption

Stance on federal preemption of state AI laws, states' rights to regulate AI, and the patchwork of local vs. national regulatory approaches.

Hickenlooper explicitly declined to sign a letter supporting a federal moratorium on state AI laws, with his office noting that he knows from experience as a former Governor that federal representatives injecting themselves into state issues can be unhelpful. His office predicted the federal moratorium would be stripped from the budget bill. He stated he wants the federal government to 'get more active on AI' through collaborative national standards legislation, not preemption.