Openly gay U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined other key members of the younger generation of Democrats who sat down for the “A Vision for the Future” panel hosted by Dream.org and its partners at the Union League Club the morning of August 20.
The conversation also included Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Maxwell Frost and centered on climate, criminal justice and AI’s impact on society. Other panelists included Illinois State Rep. Kam Buckner and officials from the Brennan Center for Justice, Color Of Change and NextGen Education Fund.
As some of the youngest Democrats in office—Frost became the youngest congressman nation-wide when he was elected in 2022—the panelists considered the future as the country faces a growing financial crisis and technological advances outspeeding regulation.
AI regulation has become a hot topic across party lines, as the technology has been utilized by big business to push out workers in creative and technological fields, while deep fakes have furthered the deep issue of misinformation. Former President Donald Trump has gleefully posted AI renderings of himself, including a bizarre video “dancing” with Elon Musk, while sharing an AI edit of Vice President Kamala Harris leading a communist meeting.
The unregulated industry is a major issue of concern, Buttigieg said, arguing that setting up regulations won’t deter the technology from finding productive usage.
“There has to be a way to do this while maintaining our guard for innovation and freedom of speech,” he added.
Frost said people should learn proper use of AI before steamrolling ahead “so we can make sure we all benefit from” AI, rather than using it to replace human jobs.
Ocasio-Cortez recently introduced a bill to protect victims of AI deepfake pornography, a major issue as celebrities (particularly women) have been violated by harmful, fraudulent photos of them in compromising positions. The bill unanimously passed in the closely divided Senate.
“It’s amazing how we have this transformative technology and 90 percent of it is being used for gender-based violence,” she remarked.
Buttigieg related these growing issues to his concerns as a parent, wanting to ensure this generation of politicians work toward a stronger future. He cited the child tax credit as a crucial step in solving child poverty.
“I love being able to make a promise I can keep. No dinosaurs are going to get you,” Buttigieg said. “But most of the promises we want to keep for our kids, knowing in the 2050s they’ll be in their 30s, asking ‘Papa, dad, what did you do when you faced the very real possibility that our generation would be the first to know less by way of life, rights and freedoms than our parents?
“I actually think there could be an extraordinary half century ahead of us, but so much is going to turn on what happens in this election, and what this generation of leaders and advocates and activists is going to acknowledge.”
The group also addressed the climate crisis, Ocasio-Cortez directly linking the issue to the rising economic disparity in the country.
“As we all know, we all may be in the same storm, but we are all in different boats,” she claimed. “It will be the poor, the Black, the frontline, the immigrant. It will be us who have the most to lose. So we must prepare now for that inevitable outcome.”
The November election could be the first time that young voters—Millennials and Gen Z—represent the bulk of votes if turnout patterns persist, said Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, president of NextGen America. In the wake of President Joe Biden suspending his campaign for reelection and Harris securing the nomination, the Democratic party is finally “passing the torch,” Ocasio-Cortez said, engaging young voters in the process.
Ocasio-Cortez said it’s up to the party not to squander the immense potential ahead, but continue with popular progressive policies.
“We get to define what this next chapter is going to be,” she proclaimed. “To me, it’s going to be feminist. It’s going to be multiracial. It’s going to be pro-immigrant, pro-union. It’s going to be universal child care.”