AI State-Law Champ’s Influence Grows With Political Adaptation

The way Joe Nguyen tells it, his journey to becoming a go-to policymaker on AI laws began five years ago at a routine budget meeting concerning ferry lines in the Puget Sound.

As the committee chair and staff in Olympia wrestled to balance funding levels with trip frequency and ridership projections, Nguyen, the newcomer from a working class side of Seattle spoke up: “Hey, can I take over your computer?”

He clicked. He typed. In five minutes, Nguyen created a model showing how the numbers would crunch.

“‘Who the f—- are you?’” a staffer asked. “‘How are you a member ...