Center for Responsible Innovation

The Center for Responsible Innovation (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, focused on AI-related issue promotion, policy research and development, and educational programming. It was co-founded by Brad Carson, a former U.S. Congressman and former Under Secretary of the Army and Acting Under Secretary of Defense, and Eric Gastfriend, a tech entrepreneur and former CEO of DynamiCare Health. The organization was incorporated in 2023 and publicly launched in March 2024. CRI operates as the research and educational counterpart to Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI), a 501(c)(4) sister organization. While ARI engages in direct lobbying and advocacy for specific legislative proposals, CRI focuses on the 501(c)(3)-permissible activities of policy research, educational programming, and issue promotion. The two entities operate under a formal legal agreement and may share resources as permitted by IRS regulations. CRI's work aims to address a critical gap in the AI governance ecosystem: while many organizations conduct AI policy research, few focus on translating those ideas into implementable legislation or capitalize effectively on policy windows. CRI seeks to fill this gap by researching policy options, drafting concrete legislative proposals, building Congressional support through briefings and coalition-building, and hosting convenings such as a bipartisan AI Policy Forum that brings together Senate and House leaders. Notable early accomplishments include coordinating a Congressional letter signed by 90 technology companies supporting AI safety funding at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a letter signed by 45+ organizations supporting the permanent establishment of the NIST AI Safety Institute, and proposing new governance approaches such as an AI incident reporting system. The organization maintains strict independence, declining funding from for-profit corporations and non-U.S. entities. CRI is supported by foundations including Founders Pledge, the Laidir Foundation, Coefficient Giving, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Sentinel Bio, as well as individual donors. In December 2024, Open Philanthropy recommended a $3,000,000 two-year general support grant to CRI.