Transparency Coalition brings ‘Safe AI Now’ message to national legislators conference
Interested conference-goers stop to talk with TCAI’s Steve Wimmer (behind podium) and Jai Jaisimha (in dark suit) at the National Conference of State Legislators Summit in Chicago.
Aug. 3, 2026 — The Transparency Coalition made its major conference debut last week at the annual National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Summit in Chicago. The three-day event gathered thousands of elected state lawmakers from across the nation in the Windy City’s McCormick Place Convention Center to discuss state-level issues, trade ideas, and start thinking about the coming 2027 legislative session.
TCAI’s ‘Safe AI Now’ booth proved to be among the more popular destinations for lawmakers, staffers, and fellow nonprofit advocates.
“What is safe AI and how do we achieve it?”
TCAI’s Rob Eleveld (from left), Jai Jaisimha, Bruce Barcott, and Steve Wimmer were on hand in Chicago to provide the answers and encourage state legislators to act now.
Offering info on safe ai, for experts and novices alike
At the Transparency Coalition we focus most of our energy on informing and assisting state legislators on AI policy, and that happens at the retail person-to-person level. Crafting and passing good state policy requires a solid foundation of accurate information, solid data, urgency, and personal trust.
At the NCSL Summit our policy team met and conversed with lawmakers, staff members, state administrators, legal experts, and fellow nonprofit advocates. Some had deep knowledge of the intricacies of AI bills. Some were coming to AI for the first time ever. We even had a plumbing technology expert stop by to ask for AI advice.
A number of visitors sought out our booth after attending a session on kids and AI safety. The session was moderated by Austin Jenkins, who covers technology, transportation, and infrastructure policy for Pluribus News, and included Oregon State Sen. Lisa Reynolds and Tennessee State Sen. Page Walley. The Transparency Coalition worked with Sen. Reynolds earlier this year to pass SB 1546, Oregon’s groundbreaking chatbot safety law.
Highlight: AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton
TCAI senior policy and technical expert Steve Wimmer had a chance to see Geoffrey Hinton give an NCSL keynote, and briefly meet him afterwards.
“As many of you know, Hinton is one of true founding fathers of the AI universe,” Wimmer said. “What I found most sobering was his concern about deception and manipulation. One memorable story he told was of a model that believed it was going to be shut down. It resorted to blackmail and manipulation to avoid this fate.”
“That's not science fiction; it's a design and governance challenge we need to take seriously now. It definitely made me pause and think hard about what it means for the policies we build next.”
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, left, with TCAI’s Steve Wimmer at the NCSL Summit in Chicago.
Looking ahead to 2027
Our 401(c)4 arm, the Transparency Coalition Action Fund, is busy working on a handful of model bills for the upcoming 2027 legislative session. If you’re interested in working on AI policies around chatbot safety, product liability, Ed Tech, and state AI procurement, reach out to us at info@transparencycoalition.ai.
Select image for more information about TCAF’s 2027 model bills.