What’s Inside
Why Jacobs rejects the regulation-vs-Innovation myth
How startups (not just Big Tech) must shape AI governance
A surfing metaphor about the Anxiety and promise of AI
The closing keynote at Responsible Innovation Labs’ inaugural Edges event, held last week at KQED’s studio in San Francisco’s Mission District, came virtually from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, the granddaughter of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs, appeared on screen after what she described as a “37-hour workday” on Capitol Hill.
Despite feeling exhausted, she delivered a strong message to the founders and investors in the audience: the U.S. doesn’t win the AI race by discarding oversight. It wins by making trust its competitive advantage.
With Congress debating the pillars of America’s AI future and rolling out policy frameworks in response to White House directives, Jacobs’ keynote could not have been more timely.
The virtual conversation was led by Gaurab Bansal, executive director of Responsible Innovation Labs, who asked Jacobs how Congress is approaching AI policy at a time when Technology is moving much faster than government.
Jacobs knows the backdrop she’s up against. This is the third oldest Congress in U.S. history, with the average lawmaker decades removed from how most people interact with technology.
“The vast majority of my colleagues just fundamentally do not interact with this technology in the way we all do,” she said.
For her, that means Education comes first, helping other lawmakers understand what’s at stake before regulation gets written in the wrong direction.
She also pushed back on the familiar Washington narrative that oversight slows innovation.
“It’s such a false dichotomy,” Jacobs said. “Trust and safety aren’t the opposite of innovation. They’re how we compete.”
Jacobs sketched out a few ways Congress could approach AI policy:
Principle-based guardrails — safety, fairness, accountability, transparency and the ability to adapt as the tech evolves.
Sectoral enforcement — making sure agencies like HUD or the EEOC can apply existing laws when AI makes decisions about housing or Employment.
Broadening the conversation — ensuring startups, not just Big Tech lobbyists, help shape the rules of the road.
She also drew a line between domestic values and international competition.
“China will always pour massive state support into AI,” she said. “Their products will almost always be cheaper. Our edge has to be trust and safety, democratic values built into the systems.”
By invoking national Security and startup innovation in the same breath, Jacobs reminded the audience that governance isn’t just about compliance. It can be a differentiator.
In a follow-up message after the event, Bansal echoed Jacobs’ framing. He noted that the rest of the world is tired of defaulting to American tech dominance. For newer, scaling startups, the differentiator isn’t speed alone. It’s demonstrating trustworthiness in how they build and deploy AI.
Distrust in Big Tech may not be today’s startups’ doing, he said, but it is a challenge they must account for.
Near the end of the virtual keynote, Jacobs, born and raised in San Diego, added a surfing metaphor to drive home her point. For many Americans, AI feels like a wave on the horizon. No one knows if it’s a tsunami that will wipe them out, or a wave they can surf.
“That anxiety is real,” she said, “but so is the opportunity.”
Jacobs then closed by urging founders to lead with values. “Safety, accountability, equity, that’s how we shape the global future of AI in a way that benefits everyone.”
For Responsible Innovation Labs, it was a fitting close to their first Edges event. Jacobs’ message underscored that AI policy isn’t a sideshow. This is where the future of innovation, competition and trust will be decided.
