Advocacy with an Impact
At ARI, we’re proving that effective bipartisan advocacy can shape tech policy to protect the public and support responsible innovation. Our work has already helped steer some of the most consequential debates in Washington.
Success Stories
Here are a couple of success stories from ARI’s work this year to move the conversation on AI policy forward.
Passing the
TAKE IT DOWN Act
In May 2025, President Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law — landmark legislation that protects kids and families from AI-generated sexual exploitation and deepfake abuse. ARI was at the center of this fight, working alongside survivors, child safety advocates, and bipartisan leaders in Congress.
In the lead up to passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, ARI helped bring together a coalition of over two-dozen children’s safety advocates and tech policy organizations in support of the bill. ARI also organized leading legal scholars to share their perspective on the constitutionality of the legislation with a legal memo, a press conference, and an accompanying op-ed.
To highlight voter support for the legislation, our organization activated a grassroots network of advocates. ARI gathered thousands of voter signatures in support of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, and as the House considered the bill, we coordinated hundreds of voter calls into lawmaker offices.
Through this combination of coalition-building, targeted outreach, and sustained public pressure, ARI helped elevate the urgent need for federal protections against non-consensual AI-generated content. Our advocacy ensured the bill not only passed in the Senate and House, but did so with strong bipartisan support.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is now the most significant federal AI safety law enacted in the United States — proof that smart, focused advocacy can deliver meaningful protections for the most vulnerable.
Read more about the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
Stopping the Federal AI Law Moratorium
Earlier this year, Congress came close to adopting a sweeping 10-year ban on state AI laws, buried inside a must-pass budget reconciliation bill. This moratorium would have blocked states from protecting consumers, workers, and kids from AI-related harms and from passing regulations meant to mitigate AI risks.
ARI led the campaign to stop it. Our team:
- Published original research on the moratorium’s sweeping consequences.
- Mobilized grassroots opposition, gathering over 25,000 signatures.
- Coordinated a letter signed by 260 bipartisan state lawmakers urging Congress to reject the measure.
- Organized press events, coalition letters, and rapid-response digital campaigns.
- Worked hand-in-hand with key lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build opposition.
When the moratorium finally came to the Senate floor, lawmakers overwhelmingly struck the provision from the bill in a 99 to 1 vote. While the final vote against the moratorium was a resounding victory, the measure likely would have passed without the work of ARI and other advocacy organizations.
ARI’s win preserved the ability of states to protect their residents while keeping the conversation on federal AI policy alive. Read more about ARI’s victory against the moratorium.
What These Wins Mean
These victories show the power of strategic advocacy in the public interest. With the TAKE IT DOWN Act, ARI proved that bipartisan consensus is possible when it comes to protecting kids and standing up to Big Tech. With the moratorium fight, we showed that even the most powerful special interests can be defeated when voters, experts, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle come together.
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Our Supporters
Americans for Responsible Innovation (a 501c4 nonprofit organization) and the Center for Responsible Innovation (a 501c3) are honored to be financially supported by our donors. Americans for Responsible Innovation is supported by organizations including Inclusive Abundance Action, Omidyar Network, and Open Philanthropy and by individual donors including Brad Carson & Julie Carson, Eric Gastfriend & Caroline Mehl, and Steve Newman. The Center for Responsible Innovation is supported by foundations including Founders Pledge, the Laidir Foundation, Open Philanthropy, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and by individual donors including Joshua Rosen, Judd Rosenblatt, and Steve Newman.
ARI and CRI do not accept corporate funding or funding from foreign governments, and our organization is run independently of our donors.
We are proud to be recommended for giving by Founders Pledge.