Can AI do Congress’s work for it?

News reports and opinion pieces nowadays are filled with criticisms about Congress’s inability to carry out its Article I responsibilities. All kinds of reforms have been suggested, from imposing age limits on senators and representatives, to abolishing Senate filibusters, to docking members’ pay for every day the appropriations process is not completed on time.

These reforms seem fanciful, since members are not into self-flagellation or involuntary retirement. The criticism of Congress, however, is valid and poses the question of whether there is not some alternative way to get things done, other than continuing to yield to executive branch usurpation of its responsibilities.

One possible solution for restoring Congress is to turn more of its work over to artificial intelligence, or AI — reputedly the smartest and fastest computerized problem-solving device on the planet. After all, AI is nothing more than a compilation of the wisdom of the ages that can be tapped at warp speed to convert complex data into simple, easily understood solutions.

Putting this scientific breakthrough at the service of democratic governing makes considerable sense if it is properly programmed to produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Call it a double dose of AI — combining Congress’s Article I powers with AI’s capabilities. All this may sound a bit tongue-in-cheeky, but AI is already being used to perform various routine tasks on Capitol Hill. It has not, however, been put to use to directly perform Congress’s lawmaking function.

Members would understandably be reluctant to cede much of their........

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