Dear Senator Cassidy and Senator Sanders:

I commend your recent decision to host a full committee hearing on AI’s Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families. I write to offer a perspective that has been largely absent from national AI discussions: the family, not just the individual, must be a central lens for AI governance and safety.

For the record, I am delighted to provide this statement and supporting documents to provide insight and perspective on this issue.

In moments of rapid technological change, families are society’s early warning system. When caregiving becomes more difficult, jobs become more precarious, or emotional strain becomes more visible, it signals deep structural stress, long before economic models or tech developers catch up.

In addition to the valuable perspectives on supporting individuals, we urge you to consider how AI may be used to support, and harm, the family as its own ecosystem. AI may be reshaping the fabric of our lives faster than any prior technological revolution; if we fail to prioritize families now, we risk undermining the foundational bonds that hold society together.

As Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once wrote, American social policy has long focused on individuals, while neglecting the family as “the fundamental group unit of society” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16). That omission is no longer tenable. Especially in the AI era, protecting and strengthening families is essential to ensuring societal well-being and resilience.

We urge your committee to take a family and their communities perspective in addressing the opportunities and risks that AI presents. From workforce volatility and the potential for economic hardship, to the harms to mental health, social disconnection, and the fraying of our social bonds, as well as the significant harms that can be done to children and other vulnerable Americans as a result of the proliferation of new technologies.

My colleague Elana Banin recently wrote that

Every industrial revolution has reshaped family life. Steam power moved households from farms to factories. Mass production sent women and children into wage labor. The Internet transformed how a generation learns, plays, and connects. Now, artificial intelligence is entering classrooms, workplaces, and even clinics, bringing new forms of disruption and possibility. It is in the family where economic shocks and technological fractures appear first, leaving them out of AI governance is profoundly shortsighted.

Families are not only vulnerable to emerging risks but also powerful sources of resilience and innovation. Throughout history, they have adapted creatively to each new wave of technological advancement.

As the United States develops policies to address AI, I urge you to learn from families—particularly those with minor children—as they are already navigating and adapting to these emerging technologies. Effective AI governance should not only protect people from harm but also leverage their lived experiences to craft practical, real-world solutions that meet their needs.

We hope this hearing is the beginning of the Senate’s effort to chart a course that protects children, strengthens caregiving and community, and equips American families with the tools they need to flourish in the decades ahead.

Our team is at your disposal should you have any questions or require additional information.

Thank you for your service to our Nation and its families.

Sincerely yours,

Joe Waters
Co-Founder + CEO