Advancing Data Policy in the Age of AI: Key Insights from Our Virtual Forum

On August 21, 2025, the Data Foundation hosted “Data Policy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” an AI virtual public forum bringing together leading experts from across sectors to examine critical challenges at the intersection of data policy and artificial intelligence. The virtual forum showcased diverse perspectives on how policymakers can navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape while ensuring responsible data governance principles.
 

Framing the Discussion: Our Data Policy in the Age of AI Toolkit

The forum was anchored by the Data Foundation's recently published guide, which provides policymakers with a framework for assessing AI use cases through a data policy lens. While data sits at the center of the AI revolution, current laws and practices don’t always account for the unique risks and opportunities AI presents. The “Data Policy in the Age of AI” guide aims to offer insights into what policies already exist, identify potential legislative and policy gaps, and present parameters to help build a comprehensive approach to data for AI with the AI-Ready Data Policy Tool. This toolbreaks down essential considerations for responsible AI data use into three key components:

• High Quality Data: Ensuring integrity, accuracy, and representativeness of data used in AI systems
• Effective Governance Principles: Protecting privacy, ensuring transparency, and embedding ethical safeguards
• Technical Capacity: Investing in infrastructure, procurement standards, and workforce skills

With federal agencies rapidly adopting AI, reporting more than 1,700 AI use cases ranging from chatbots to predictive modeling, ensuring data is AI-ready is crucial for successful implementation. This sentiment was echoed in the virtual public forum, where researchers, policy and industry experts presented their ideas on how data policy should evolve to facilitate the responsible and effective use of AI in the public sector. 

Diverse Expert Perspectives

The forum featured thirteen speakers who presented five-minute lightning talks on critical AI policy topics. Several key themes emerged across these presentations:

• The Centrality of Data Quality: Multiple speakers emphasized that AI systems are only as good as the data that trains them. From standardized documentation to bias mitigation, ensuring high-quality, representative data emerged as a foundational requirement.
• The Need for Cross-Sector Standards: Speakers consistently called for standardized approaches to AI evaluation, documentation, and governance that can work across different sectors and use cases.
• Balancing Innovation with Accountability: Presentations highlighted the tension between encouraging AI innovation and ensuring appropriate oversight, with speakers offering practical frameworks for achieving both objectives.
• The Importance of Workforce Capacity: Several speakers addressed the need for professional development and training to ensure government workers can effectively and responsibly use AI tools.
• Equity and Fairness of Workforce Capacity: Several speakers addressed the need for professional development and training to ensure government workers can effectively and responsibly use AI tools.
• Equity and Fairness Considerations: From hate speech regulation to social welfare program evaluation, speakers emphasized the need to center equity and fairness in AI system design and deployment.

Looking Ahead

The forum illustrated the need for practical tools to navigate the complex intersection of data policy and AI governance. As one speaker noted, federal agencies are already deep into AI implementation – the question isn’t whether to use AI, but how to use it responsibly.

The Data Foundation’s AI-Ready Data Policy Tool provides a structured approach for policymakers to assess whether AI use cases adequately account for sound data practices, or identify gaps that may require new laws, policies, or processes. As demonstrated by the wide range of ideas presented during the forum, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to data policy in the age of AI, but there are common principles and practices that can guide responsible implementation.

The diverse expertise shared during the virtual forum contributes to the Data Foundation’s ongoing efforts to equip policymakers with the knowledge and tools needed to harness AI’s potential while upholding public interests and democratic values. As AI systems become more prevalent in government operations, these kinds of conversations and insights are critical to ensure the thoughtful deployment of new technologies 

To learn more about our Data Policy in the Age of AI guide and access the AI-Ready Data Policy Tool, visit AI Virtual Forum event page.