Jerry McNerney

This panel will explore the computability of consciousness and whether artificial intelligence can ever be conscious. Bringing together perspectives from neuroscience, philosophy, physics, and computer science, the discussion will examine whether conscious experience can be fully explained by computation or whether it depends on processes that cannot be captured by algorithms. The panel will also consider how consciousness in AI could be defined, tested, and recognized, as well as the ethical, societal, and public policy implications of potentially conscious AI, including questions of moral status, responsibility, and governance. California State Senator Jerry McNerney will contribute a policymaker’s perspective, informed by his background as a mathematician and engineer, his leadership of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, and his work on AI governance and safety legislation.

Senator Jerry McNerney was elected to the Senate in November 2024, after serving 16 years in the U.S. Congress. His 5th District includes Alameda County’s Tri-Valley area and all of San Joaquin County.

McNerney served in Congress from 2006-2023, where he was a member of several Congressional committees, including the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce. He also chaired the Artificial Intelligence Caucus, the Congressional Grid Innovation Caucus, and the WiFi Caucus. He authored the AI in Government Act.

During his time in Congress, he also worked on numerous issues to benefit veterans and fought relentlessly for the new veterans’ health facility near French Camp now serving the region’s veterans.

A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, McNerney earned bachelor's and master's degrees and a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of New Mexico. Prior to serving in Congress, he spent more than 20 years as an engineer and consultant in the energy and clean energy industry, helping develop cutting-edge wind technologies and wind turbines.

In the California State Senate, McNerney serves as chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee and the Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, and is a member of the Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee; the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee; Budget and Fiscal Review Committee; Budget Subcommittee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, and Energy; the Agriculture Committee; the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee; and the Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification.

He also is co-chair of the California Legislative Delta Caucus and is a member of the Bay Area Caucus and the California Technology and Innovation Caucus. In addition, he is the Senate's representative on the Delta Protection Commission and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board.

McNerney and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1977 and live in Pleasanton. His oldest son, Michael, served as an officer in the US Air Force and is now a serial entrepreneur in cyber security living in the Bay Area with his wife and two children. McNerney’s daughter, Margaret, is a Ph.D. neuroscientist working at the Palo Alto VA and teaching at Stanford. His son, Greg, is a Ph.D. biophysicist and now works at Intel Corporation in Beaverton, OR.