Year One of the Digital Parliaments Project: What We Accomplished in 2025 and What's Ahead for 2026
One year after Caribbean parliamentarians identified a shared need to modernize legislative operations, the Digital Parliaments Project marks a key milestone. The first year saw the launch of ParlLink, an open-source, AI-enabled platform supporting legislative digitization and data standardization across partner parliaments. In 2026, the project will expand to new countries, introduce additional AI-powered tools, and strengthen a global community focused on practical parliamentary modernization.
If I Can Use AI at Work, You Can Too
A firsthand look at using AI in everyday Congressional work (without coding or technical expertise!) including practical examples, safety considerations, and why responsible AI adoption can help staff work smarter and keep pace with rapid change.
From Slip-Up to Solution: How AI Can Help Fix Lawmaking in Estonia
A single missing word in Estonia’s gambling tax law nearly made online casinos tax-free, exposing how fragile legislative drafting can be. The error also sparked fast civic innovation: a former government CIO built an AI tool in a day to scan draft bills for mistakes, showing how artificial intelligence can strengthen lawmaking, improve oversight, and help catch costly errors before they become policy.
Why Legislative Modernizers Need to Pay Attention to this New Wave of AI
Claude Opus 4.5, Claude Code, Gemini 3 Pro, and agentic AI introduce stronger reasoning, automation, and multimodal capabilities with direct relevance to legislative research, drafting, analytics, and internal systems. For legislative modernizers, the shift signals a move from experimentation to real operational use inside parliaments.
The Year of "and Innovation": What the House Modernization Report Reveals About Congress' Next Phase
An analysis of the House Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation’s 2025 year-end report and what it signals about Congress’s next phase. The report highlights a shift toward transparency, realistic goal-setting, and new initiatives — from AI adoption to procurement reform — that will shape whether Congress can keep pace with technology and public expectations.
Seasonal Greetings and a 2025 Recap
ModParl closes out 2025 with a practical example of AI in action, spotlighting Anguilla’s House of Assembly and its new AI-powered Hansard and legislative website. We also look back on a year of legislative modernization — from Europe to Africa and Asia.
Simply Having a Wonderful Congress-time
Wrapping up 2025 on Capitol Hill by highlighting a year of Congressional modernization, AI shaping the future of legislatures, new constituent service tools, and leadership transitions. Plus, holiday cheer, campus updates, and a look ahead to 2026’s big tech initiatives like the White House Genesis Mission and agentic AI at federal agencies.
AI in Parliaments is a Journey, Not a Switch
A conversation with Andy Williamson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union examines why adopting AI in parliaments is a gradual institutional journey. Centered on the new Maturity Framework for AI in Parliaments, the conversation explores how legislatures can assess readiness, build governance and capacity, and focus on democratic impact while learning from peer institutions.
Public Witness Testimony on Modernizing Constituent Engagement Through Emerging Technology
On December 17, 2025, POPVOX Foundation Director of Global Initiatives Aubrey Wilson submitted testimony to the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation on how emerging technologies — particularly AI — are reshaping constituent engagement in legislatures around the world and what lessons the US House can draw from these efforts.
Parliaments as Living Information Systems
A global shift is underway as AI pushes parliaments to evolve from paper-bound institutions into fully digital, adaptive information systems. This post explores why past tech waves fell short, what today’s “pacing problem” means for democracy, and how coordinated international action can drive genuine digital transformation.
Congress in 2040?
A global summit on “AI for Parliaments” offered a glimpse of how legislatures might operate in 2040 — and why Congress risks slipping behind as peers race ahead. From international models of AI-enabled lawmaking and upcoming oversight deadlines to leadership transitions and new directives in House rules and appropriations, the latest Future-Proofing Congress breaks down what US lawmakers need to know to stay competitive in an accelerating tech era.
The Pebble and the Boulder: Five Futures for Legislatures in the Age of AI
A look at five plausible futures for legislatures in the age of AI — and why global parliamentary leaders are acting now to address the “pacing problem,” strengthen oversight, and ensure democratic institutions shape, rather than get shaped by, accelerating technology.
On Day Three: The Final Recommendations Shaping the Future of AI in Parliaments
On the final day of the Artificial Intelligence Conference in Kuala Lumpur, delegates adopted twelve early recommendations to guide responsible AI adoption in legislatures — from readiness assessments and governance frameworks to capacity-building, oversight, and shared learning across parliaments.
On Day Two: Parliaments Take Stock and Plan Next Steps on AI
The second day of the Artificial Intelligence Conference in Kuala Lumpur spotlighted early-stage experimentation, widening capacity gaps, and new tools like the IPU’s AI Maturity Framework as parliaments assess their progress and chart next steps for trustworthy AI adoption.
The Path Forward: Continuing the CAO's Legacy of Leadership
As Catherine Szpindor retires after reshaping the House’s modern infrastructure, Congress enters a high-stakes era where AI, post-Chevron demands, and decades of capacity loss make the next CAO appointment a generational decision for how effectively the institution can serve the American people.
On Day One: Are Parliaments Preparing for AI — or Being Pulled by It?
A firsthand look from Kuala Lumpur at how parliaments worldwide are grappling with the rise of AI — and whether they’re steering the technology or being swept along by it. Day one of the Artificial Intelligence Conference included global lawmakers debating future scenarios developed by the IPU and POPVOX Foundation, the urgent need to keep humans in the loop, and the promise of AI to free legislators for deeper public engagement.
The Future Won’t Slow Down, But Congress Can Get Ready
A special Thanksgiving edition of Future-Proofing Congress breaks down three frontier AI releases, the new federal “Genesis Mission,” and fast-moving tech trends reshaping policymaking — and offers practical ways staff can stay ahead.
Giving Thanks and Celebrating Wins
A look at bipartisan wins, new modernization funding, and fresh resources for Congressional staff as CapitolStrong relaunches after the shutdown — plus a December 3 thank-you event and updates on AI, casework tools, and federal workforce insights.
The Academic Edition
From the UK and Japan to Italy and beyond, a new wave of academic research is revealing how artificial intelligence is reshaping parliaments worldwide. The latest ModParl explores what AI means for trust, representation, and the human side of lawmaking.
The Spookiest Season of All
From managing casework and using AI wisely to boosting staff morale this spooky season, the latest Future-Proofing Congress features tips for staying effective during the government shutdown. Plus, insights on House Digital Services’ Case Compass, global AI trends, and upcoming Hill events.