US AI Policy Hackathon
- Date
- 2026-01-23
- Host
- BASIS Events
About this event
AI policy is being written in real time, and the people in the room shape what gets built, restricted, funded, and trusted. The US AI Policy Hackathon is an in-person working session for people who want to move beyond hot takes and turn urgent questions about AI, autonomy, and governance into concrete ideas, draft proposals, and practical collaborations. What Is This? This hackathon is a focused, collaborative event centered on one big challenge: how the US should think about AI policy at a moment when the technology is advancing faster than most institutions can respond. Rather than treating policy as something distant or abstract, the format invites participants to work directly on the questions that matter now. Expect a room that blends technical curiosity, policy thinking, and community energy. Whether your lens is safety, regulation, innovation, public interest, civil liberties, or the future of autonomous systems, the event is designed to help people test ideas together and produce work that is sharper by the end of the day than it was at the beginning. The hackathon structure matters here. This is not just a series of talks about AI policy. It is a space for building: framing problems, forming teams, debating tradeoffs, drafting solutions, and pressure-testing proposals with others who care about getting the details right. What to Expect The day begins Friday, January 23 at 9:00 AM PST and is built around active participation. You should expect a mix of structured moments and open collaboration, with enough direction to keep momentum high and enough flexibility for teams to pursue the most promising ideas. A typical flow for an event like this may include: A short opening to frame the key policy themes Time to meet other participants and surface topic areas Team formation around shared interests or problem statements Collaborative work sessions to develop ideas, frameworks, drafts, or prototypes Informal feedback loops with other attendees A closing share-out of what teams created and where the work could go next The substance of the work may touch a range of issues across AI and autonomy, including governance approaches, accountability, risk management, public-sector implications, industry incentives, and the social consequences of deployment. Some teams may focus on near-term policy recommendations; others may explore longer-horizon questions where today's choices could lock in tomorrow's outcomes. Because it is in person, there is also real value in the conversations between sessions. Some of the best progress at a hackathon happens when someone from a different background asks the question your team was missing or offers a perspective that changes the shape of the problem. Why Attend If you care about AI policy, this event gives you a better use of your time than passively following headlines. You will spend the day with people who are willing to think carefully, work quickly, and engage seriously with the complexity of governing powerful technologies. You should leave with more than general inspiration. Depending on how you participate, that could mean a clearer view of the current policy landscape, stronger language for explaining your position, a draft concept you can keep developing, or new collaborators for future work. The immediate output matters, but so does the quality of the thinking you sharpen along the way. There is also a broader reason to be in the room. AI policy is often discussed in fragmented circles: technical, legal, civic, academic, startup, and public-sector communities frequently talk past one another. A hackathon format can close that gap by putting people in shared problem-solving mode instead of keeping them in separate conversations. This is especially valuable if you care about autonomy and emerging systems that do not fit neatly into older policy categories. The people who show up ready to wrestle with those edge cases early are often the ones best positioned to influence what responsible policy looks like later. Practical Details This is an in-person event, which means you should plan to be present for active discussion and collaborative work rather than dropping in only for a single segment. The event starts Friday, January 23 at 9:00 AM PST, so arriving on time will help you catch the opening context, meet other participants early, and find the right team or topic area. Because the format is hands-on, come ready to contribute. That does not mean you need to arrive with a finished policy memo or a polished viewpoint. It does mean you should be prepared to listen closely, think critically, and help move a group from ideas to something more concrete. A few useful ways to prepare: Bring a clear sense of the AI policy questions you care about most Be ready to explain your perspective in plain language Expect to collaborate with people from different backgrounds Come open to drafting, revising, and challenging assumptions Plan for a full, working-style day rather than a passive audience experience If you have been looking for a place to do serious, constructive work on AI policy with other engaged people, this is that room. The value of the day will come from the quality of participation, and this event is built for attendees who want to help shape the conversation, not just observe it.
Who should attend
This is for you if you want to actively work on AI policy questions, not just discuss them from the sidelines. - **You follow AI closely and want to help shape policy responses.** If you have strong questions about regulation, governance, safety, autonomy, or public accountability, this is a place to turn that interest into concrete work. - **You come from tech, policy, law, research, academia, or civic work and want more cross-disciplinary conversation.** The event is especially useful if you are looking for people who think differently from you but care about the same core problems. - **You like collaborative, working-style events.** If brainstorming, drafting, debating tradeoffs, and building with a team sounds energizing, you will probably feel at home here. - **You care about the real-world consequences of AI deployment.** If your interest is in how systems affect institutions, communities, incentives, rights, or public trust, your perspective will be relevant. - **You are early in your AI policy journey but ready to contribute seriously.** You do not need to be the loudest expert in the room; you do need curiosity, focus, and a willingness to engage thoughtfully. - **You want to meet others who are taking AI and autonomy governance seriously.** If you are hoping to find future collaborators, sharpen your thinking, or pressure-test an idea, this event is a strong fit.