Democracy Dies in Darkness
AI & Tech Brief from WP Intelligence
Plus, Illinois’ landmark AI bill raises the ante in the fight for “preemption” in Congress
May 29, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EDTYesterday at 3:00 p.m. EDT
By Benjamin Guggenheim
- Prominent science groups are pressuring the Senate to hold a public hearing on the confirmation of Jim O’Neill as director of the National Science Foundation. O’Neill had a series of private meetings with leading academic AI researchers at universities in Southern California to discuss the future of the NSF.
- Illinois’ landmark AI bill establishes third-party audits of frontier labs, raising the ante for the fight over preemption of state AI laws in Congress.
- A rundown of stories you may have missed this week, including coverage of open-source AI company Reflection AI’s new Washington operation and Andreessen Horowitz’s vision of the future of jobs in the age of AI.


