AI Essentials for Congressional Staffers

July 25, 2025

9 a.m. – Noon

Understand the growing impact of AI on government and society. Build foundational knowledge of AI concepts, applications, and ethics.

Free

JHU Bloomberg Center • 555 Penn Ave NW

Designed for:
– Capitol Hill staff looking to understand AI’s role in their work
– Constituent services staff with no prior AI or technical background who want to learn about AI’s potential
– Congressional support staff exploring AI’s political and real-world applications,

July 25, 2025

In-Person

Free

Advance your knowledge of today’s AI landscape

This AI Essentials info session from Johns Hopkins Engineering Lifelong Learning equips Congressional Staffers with a high-level understanding of AI concepts and applications in national security, healthcare, and more. Explore ethical considerations and gain insights with leading Johns Hopkins researchers in AI.

Meet and engage with leading researchers in AI from Johns Hopkins University, where you will have the unique opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the field. Delve into the fundamental concepts and foundations of artificial intelligence, gaining a solid understanding of how these technologies work and their various components.

Explore the exciting and rapidly evolving potential applications of AI, particularly in health and scientific research, where AI is driving innovations in diagnostics, treatment plans, and personalized medicine.

Throughout this info session, you will be equipped with a holistic view of AI, understanding not only its technical aspects but also its broader impact on society and ethical considerations.

Through engaging discussions, case studies, and group exercises, you will gain practical insights into AI’s impact on society and walk away with actionable knowledge to integrate AI into your personal and professional life.

Who Should Attend?

This info session is designed specifically for Congressional Staffers who want to gain a foundational understanding of AI, its political import, real-world applications, and ethical considerations.

  • Capitol Hill staff looking to understand AI’s role in their work
  • Constituent services staff with no prior AI or technical background who want to learn about AI’s potential
  • Congressional support staff exploring AI’s political and real-world applications

Schedule

  • 09:00 AM (5 minutes) — Meet and Greet
  • 09:05 AM (5 minutes) — Introduction — Chris Austin
  • 09:10 AM (20 minutes) — Overview of AI— Alexis Battle 
  • 09:30 AM (30 minutes) — AI Ethics — Debra Mathews
  • 10:00 AM (30 minutes) — AI for Speech and Language – Berrak Sisman
  • 10:30 AM (30 minutes) — AI for Computer Vision — Rama Chellappa
  • 11:00 AM (30 minutes) — AI for National Security — Jim Bellingham
  • 11:30 AM (30 minutes) — AI in Medicine — Swaroop Vedula
  • 12:00 PM — Adjourn

Acquire Essential Knowledge of Today’s AI Landscape

Designed by JHU Faculty, the curriculum covers key areas of the evolving AI domain.

  • AI and Language
  • AI for Biological Systems
  • AI for Radiology
  • AI for National Security
  • AI Ethics
  • AI for Computer Vision

Meet Your Instructors

  • Brian Caffo, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Biostatistics with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the co-director of the Johns Hopkins High Performance Computing Exchange super computing service center.

  • Chris Austin, MPA is the director of Federal Strategy at Johns Hopkins University, where he advocates for strong federal investment in scientific research and public policy, with a focus on biomedical research, global health, public health, and national competitiveness. 

  • Alexis Battle, PhD is the interim co-director of the Data Science and AI Institute at Johns Hopkins University and a professor of biomedical engineering, with secondary appointments in computer science and genetic medicine.

  • Debra JH Mathews, PhD, MA, is Associate Director for Research and Programs at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and a Professor in the Department of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

  • Berrak Sisman, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and a leading expert in AI, speech and language processing, emotion recognition, and synthetic voice detection.

  • Rama Chellappa, PhD is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering where he also serves as interim Co-Director of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute

  • Swaroop Vedula, PhD, is member of the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare and the Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute, Dr. Vedula leads the AI for Surgery Lab at JHU, developing and translating real-world engineering solutions to key problems in surgical care.

AI Essentials for Congressional Staffers

July 25, 2025

In-Person

Free