Sample AI Prompts
A resource to help Congressional staffers integrate GenAI into their workflows
Disclaimer: The House of Representatives’ Chief Administrative Officer announced an official Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy in September of 2024. The policy can be accessed by Congressional staff behind the institution’s firewall on HouseNet. The below resource has not been updated in response to the policy.
Leveraging AI
This guide is a collaboration between the Foundation for American Innovation and POPVOX Foundation. Questions? Contact us at luke@thefai.org or aubrey@popvox.org
Artificial Intelligence is being rapidly adopted throughout the public and private sectors. Between the popularity of Generative AI (ChatGPT has over 180.5 million users) and the ever-expanding market of AI-enabled tools, a paradigm shift is underway and Congress is not exempt.
From summarizing and drafting documents to building novel automations, AI has the potential to transform congressional workflows, increasing the capacity of members’ offices to do their work and represent their constituents. With the average age of congressional staff hovering around 31 years old, the House and Senate are host to many early adopters of this new technology. Internal scans of House network traffic suggest that up to a quarter of the chamber’s staff are already using some form of GenAI regularly. CHA, GAO, CAO, GPO, and numerous personal offices are thus implementing AI into their modernization initiatives.
Yet adoption is being held back by a lack of familiarity with the available tools and uncertainty about what rules or guidelines are in place around their use. As chiefs of staff, staff directors, and office managers begin the necessary task of helping their staff navigate smart, safe adoption of these new tools, below are sample prompts to help Congressional staff integrate GenAI into their workflows.
A few foundational rules should always be followed:
Be familiar with the institution's latest guidance and the guidance set by your office.
Never upload or include personal or non-public information in your prompt. That which goes into the system becomes part of the system.
Treat any output as if an intern produced it. Always double check the AI’s work.
If the AI doesn’t give you what you want, refine and reframe the question and ask again. Chatbots can iterate, so if you tell it what you don’t like or suggest a different approach, it will try to improve.
Sample Prompts
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e-Dear Colleague
GenAI help you with the first draft of an attention-catching, persuasive eDC to encourage Members to be original co-sponsors of your boss’s new bill.
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One-Pager
Have GenAI help you with the first draft of an informative 1-pager on your bill that can be used by your staff to answer questions and be used to help inform other offices about the bill’s intended effects.
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Social Media Posts
Have GenAI help you with the first draft of five X posts celebrating the introduction of your bill that highlights the intent of the legislation and celebrates the original cosponsors.
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Constituent Response Letter
Have GenAI help you with the first draft of a constituent response letter that addresses their concerns and informs them of the Representative’s proactive legislative actions.
Additional Resources
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Where the House and Senate are on Internal AI
While debates continue across Capitol Hill on approaches to regulation of artificial intelligence, institutional offices within the House of Representatives and Senate are taking steps to prepare for the impending paradigm shift.
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A Congressional Office’s Guide to Establishing a Generative AI Internal Use Policy
House and Senate offices should be clear about their internal office guidance and encourage staff to think innovatively about how GenAI can be used across their DC and district offices to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
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Unleashing Efficiency: Leveraging AI in Legislative Operations
The Foundation for American Innovation and POPVOX Foundation created a short guide for Capitol Hill staff to the risks and benefits of AI tools, and best practices for their smart and safe adoption.
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Representative Bodies in the AI Era Vol. 1
The definitive guide for the US Congress and legislatures around the world on adopting AI to modernize their internal operations and address the “pacing problem.” The report includes international use-case scenarios and recommendations to inform responsible AI deployment.
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Representative Bodies in the AI Era: A Roadmap for Legislatures
This companion piece to Representative Bodies in the AI Era Vol. 1 offer a short synopsis of recommendations legislatures can take now to responsibly adopt AI.
