WED AM News: AI discussion highlights industry challenges, role of government regulation; AARP WI urging support for family caregivers

October 29, 2025

— An expert says executive pressure to deploy AI is a problem for industry as the technology is increasingly seen as essential for competitiveness.

Sahab Aslam, founder of Vectorify Labs and the AI sector lead at the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of New York, was a featured speaker during yesterday’s Wisconsin Technology Council luncheon in Madison.

She said there’s been a departure from “all the testing and the rigor we used to do before” as company leaders seek to meet business objectives around AI.

“Sometimes it’s just like, we’ve got to do it, otherwise we’re going to be behind,” said Aslam, who’s also a graduate faculty member in data science at the University of California, Berkeley. “And it’s a little bit different kind of urgency than solving a problem.”

As businesses race to keep up, she said less time is being spent on determining if a given application is “the right use” of AI.

“Enterprise no longer is spending time on that,” Aslam said.

Yesterday’s discussion also explored the role of government regulation of AI, with Rep. Adam Neylon calling for a balanced approach that acknowledges the limits of policymakers’ understanding. Neylon, R-Pewaukee, is the vice-chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs and Economy.

“You also don’t want to be too proscriptive, or put too much regulatory burden on companies that want to be innovative, and doing things that are above the level of knowledge that some of the regulators in Madison even have,” he said. “So I think that could cause potential unintended consequences when you try to step in and regulate things that … we’re still trying to work through.”

Still, he said the government should play a role in regulating AI, noting his previous work on legislation related to the technology’s use in political campaign advertising. He also said consumer protection issues and health care applications for AI are “low-hanging fruit” for regulatory policy in Wisconsin.

But Neylon also raised concerns about a “patchwork” of state-level AI laws tripping up companies, arguing the federal government or Congress should enact national regulations for the technology.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin AI Safety Initiative Director Will Anderson emphasized the transformative impact that AI will have on the economy, pointing to even more profound shifts on the horizon.

“It’s going to be tremendously, tremendously impactful and we need to navigate this very carefully,” he said yesterday.

Aslam noted AI can help “level the playing field” by reducing knowledge barriers for business leaders and entrepreneurs, and Neylon agreed.

“The people that are able to utilize this technology are able to build things and scale things and do things that would take teams, right, take money, take infrastructure, and now you’re able to build something, create something from nothing with these tools that we have,” he said. “So I think it’s really going to change the level of productivity in people.”

— AARP Wisconsin is urging policymakers “at every level” to support the 1.1 million family caregivers in the state.

That’s nearly a quarter of all adults in Wisconsin, the group’s release notes, adding most of these people are largely unpaid and unsupported as they provide care to loved ones that need it. That can include bathing and preparing food as well as managing medications, transportation and other medical tasks, often with little training.

The group’s latest data show family caregivers provide $9.2 billion in unpaid care per year in the state, with 37% of them reporting financial challenges such as going into debt and spending their savings, or struggling with basic costs.

At the same time, 55% of caregivers in the state are also working full-time or part-time, and many are driven out of the workforce by the responsibilities of caring for an older parent or other dependent.

Raj Shukla, state director for AARP Wisconsin, notes the demand for this kind of care will only grow as the state’s population ages.

“With the release of this new data and ahead of the 2026 legislative session, AARP Wisconsin is urging policymakers at every level to act now to help family caregivers save money, time and get the support they need,” Shukla said in a statement.

The release points to efforts by the national AARP to establish a proposed federal tax credit of up to $5,000 for working caregivers, among other related policy efforts.

See more in the release.

— Attorney General Josh Kaul has joined a multi-state lawsuit seeking to force the Trump administration to use emergency funding to ensure more than 40 million Americans maintain access to food stamps next month amid the government shutdown.

The lawsuit follows a U.S. Department of Agriculture memo this week stating the agency wouldn’t use emergency SNAP funds to help cover the benefits going into November. USDA argued that money is intended to supplement regular monthly benefits and can’t legally be used.

Kaul at a virtual press conference yesterday noted SNAP benefits haven’t been cut off during previous government shutdowns. He said for many families, the benefits are the difference between having enough to eat and going hungry.

In the filing, Kaul, 22 other Dem attorneys general and three Dem governors argue the $6 billion in emergency SNAP funding was intended for use in situations like the shutdown. They note USDA last month said the money could be used to ensure benefits continue in the event of a funding lapse. They also argue USDA could use other federal funding sources to keep the program running, as it did with the Women, Infants and Children supplemental nutrition program.

In Wisconsin, nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites rely on FoodShare, the name Wisconsin uses for the SNAP program. FoodShare benefits are entirely federally funded.

“We cannot allow Wisconsinites to lose access to FoodShare benefits when there are resources in place that can be used to keep this program running,” Kaul said, adding the loss of access would put an extra burden on food banks and food pantries.

See more on this from WisPolitics.

— MMAC is promoting a new scholarship initiative that will allow taxpayers to donate $1,700 to a school of their choice rather than paying that amount in federal taxes.

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce this week sent a press release highlighting this new federal tax credit, noting states must opt in under federal law to “unlock this potential.” The announcement includes a link to Pay It Forward Wisconsin, a nonprofit scholarship granting organization that’s accepting pledges to show the potential impact in the state.

MMAC notes donations can’t be received until 2027 but says pledging the donation now will send “a powerful message” to state leaders. Dale Kooyenga, the group’s president and CEO, says the new tax credit will help give children the chance to succeed.

“These scholarships can make a meaningful difference,” he said in a statement. “It’s a chance to strengthen our talent pipeline by supporting education in a way that’s personal, impactful and inclusive.”

See the release and see more here.

— Editor’s note: A story from earlier this month has been updated to correct a quote from Mike Klemp-North, vice president of administration and facilities at Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises. See the updated story here.

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