DC's new AI Prom arrives with AI and astronauts

Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth receives the Guardian of America Award presented at the AI Honors in Washington D.C. June 3, 2025. Source: Getty. CNN’s Sarah Sidner and Fox News Jennifer Griffin look on.

🤖AI HONORS MAKES ITS DEBUT — DC’S NEW AI PROM ARRIVES: The AI Honors Gala on Tuesday night was more than a black-tie affair — it was a declaration: artificial intelligence has officially arrived as Washington’s next power center.

Held at the Waldorf Astoria and founded by Tammy Haddad’s Washington AI Network, the event brought together lawmakers, defense officials, tech giants, Vatican ethicists, and top scientists under one soaring chandelier — with sponsorships from OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and more. (It unfolded on the sidelines of the AI+Expo.)

—> THE SCENE: Red carpet arrivals were flanked with costumed astronauts… 10-ft. electric robots danced at the Waldorf… Boston Robotics robo-dog performed dog tricks… Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) introduced Pope Leo XIV’s(of Delco) AI guy, who offered a special tribute from the Vatican…

—> MEET THE FUTURE: We predict this event will become the dominant technology event in Washington of the year. In a city where flash can often drown out substance, the AI Honors managed to blend both — elevating the leaders actually shaping America’s AI policy, innovation, and ethics. As the stakes surrounding AI escalate — from national security to labor, healthcare, and democracy itself — the need for a future-facing convening that crosses political lines and institutional silos is urgent. This is it. Also —> it was fun.

Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad speaks at the inaugural AI Honors in Washington. Source: Getty.

—> 🏛️ BIPARTISAN LEADERS TAKE CENTER STAGE: Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) received the night’s top honor — the AI Bipartisan Leadership Award — for leading the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. It was a reminder that not all innovation gets stuck in gridlock — and that thoughtful guardrails can still be built on both sides of the aisle.

—> 🏆 THE NIGHT'S HONOREES — IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:

• Sen. Todd Young – AI Impact in Governance Award

• Zane Price & Joanna Guy, Booz Allen – Space Innovation Award

• Dr. Patricia K. Falcone – Public Science Award

• Ylli Bajraktari – American Competitiveness Award

• Father Paolo Benanti – Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Award

• Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth – Guardian of America Award

• Jack Hidary – AI Visionary Award

Tammy Haddad and Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, eighth Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Source: Getty.

—> ⚙️ WHY IT MATTERS: Artificial intelligence isn’t just another tech trend — it’s the infrastructure for the future. But until now, DC hasn’t had a central convening that pulls together all the power brokers who actually matter: the lawmakers, the labs, the code-writers, the ethicists, the execs, and yes, the media. Trump-world threw crypto parties. Big Tech hosted lobby happy hours. But this was different. This was dignified. This was bipartisan. And this feels built to last.

—> 🧠 AI HAS A RED CARPET NOW — AND THE BRAINS TO MATCH: The vibe? Less beltway glad-handing, more "future-of-the-Republic" serious. With AI’s impact still unfolding across warfare, economics, and daily life, the people in that room weren’t just posing for cameras — they’re drafting the next operating system for society. Tuesday night proved that Washington’s most important conversation isn’t happening on a cable panel. It’s happening in a ballroom full of data scientists and defense strategists.

—> MEET THE FUTURE: In a town that usually rewards soundbites over systems thinking, Tammy Haddad’s AI Honors just gave the future a seat at the table — with a tux, a robot dog, and some fun astronauts.

SPOTTED: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Reps. Jay Obernolte & Ted Lieu, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, SandboxAQ CEO Jack Hidary, Lawrence Livermore’s Patricia Falcone, Ph.D., Ylli Bajraktari, and the Pope’s AI adviser Father Paola Benanti. CNN’s Sarah Sidner emceed with guests including Siemens CEO Barbara Humpton, Kellyanne Conway, ManTech CEO Matt Tait, Reps. Brendan Boyle, Vince Fong, & Ben Cline, Jeff Freeland, Paige Wiley, Alex Flemister, Hailey Borden, Karalee Geis, Colton Snedecor, Parker Magid, AWS’s Olivia Igbokwe, AMD’s Keith Strier, OpenAI’s Chan Park, Silverado’s Dmitri Alperovich, Bookings’ Sarah Hudgins,  FTC’s CTO Jake Denton, NobleReach’s Arun Gupta, General Catalyst’s Teresa Carlson, Meta’s David Ginsberg, Microsoft’s Gerry Petrella, Omidyar’s Govind Shivkumar, Salesforce’s Lauren Watt and American University’s David Marchick. Ed Luce, Jennifer Griffin, Kevin Cirilli, Sam Feist, Pamela Brown, Kaitlan Collins, Adrienne Elrod, Rachel Scott. European Union Ambassador Jovia Neliupsiene, Luxembourg’s Ambassador Nicole Binter-Bakshian, Liechtenstein Ambassador George Sparber, British Embassy Senay Bulbul, Liz Johnson, Elizabeth Falcone, Reema Dodin, Vinoda Basnayake, Robin Goldman, Chris Russo, Josh Randle, Rachel Greenberg, David Greenberg, Ben Popkin, Kathleen Buhle, Helen and Joe Milby.