U.S. Public Policy and AI Innovation Intern (Fall 2026)

Role overview

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<div class="content-intro"><div>About Us</div> <div> At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.  At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in. </div></div>Available Locations: Washington D.C. Internship Dates: September 14 - December 4 About the role Cloudflare’s Public Policy teams anticipate regulatory opportunities and challenges and advocate for the company’s interests across a rapidly evolving digital and policy landscape. The team manages a diverse portfolio of issues, focusing on critical areas such as AI, cybersecurity, data protection and privacy, digital sovereignty, connectivity, and intermediary liability. Operating in a fast-paced environment, members collaborate across functions to align policy solutions with core business priorities. By building strategic external partnerships, they effectively promote Cloudflare’s work and navigate complex global, national, and local policy issues to help build a better Internet for all.  <h4>What you'll do</h4> As a U.S. Public Policy and AI Innovation intern, you will dive headfirst into the intersection of public policy and cutting-edge technology.  Primarily supporting our Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Federal, State and Local Policy, Policy Strategy, and Global Government Relations teams, you will assist in efforts to both (1) navigate and respond to relevant tech policy, legislative, and regulatory processes, and (2) build internal AI-driven tools to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of our policy work. <h4>Responsibilities</h4> Policy Operations and Advocacy <ul> <li>Maintaining internal policy knowledge bases and issue trackers.</li> <li>Monitoring and evaluating U.S. federal, state, and local legislation for impact on Cloudflare products.</li> <li>Providing timely updates on policy shifts.</li> <li>Drafting talking points, policy messaging, and presentation materials for external events, blog posts, and consultation responses. </li> <li>Collaborating with Legal, Trust & Safety, Public Sector Sales, and other internal teams on regulatory inquiries and high-stakes policy issues.</li> <li>Analyzing new or proposed Internet- and Cloudflare-impacting regulations or legislation to guide advocacy and operational responses.</li> </ul> AI Innovation and Tooling <ul> <li>Designing AI-driven prototypes, and developing and refining specialized prompts and internal AI interfaces to streamline policy team workflows and processes.</li> <li>Leveraging internal AI tools to synthesize vast amounts of public policy data into actionable insights, ensuring the team can respond to legislative shifts with higher speed and accuracy.</li> <li>Supporting the development of internal best practices for the responsible use of AI within the policy and legal functions.</li> </ul> <h4>Desirable Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:</h4> <ul> <li>Education: Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with a focus on technology, engineering, public policy, law, or a related field.</li> <li>In-Office: Available for a full-time 12-week internship, working from our Washington D.C. office 3-5 days a week during the fall (Sept-Dec).</li> <li>Tech-Forward Mindset: Strong demonstrated interest in Internet and technology policy, cybersecurity, privacy, and artificial intelligence issues.</li> <li>AI Experience and Skills: Prior experience building and deploying AI tools and applications using modern developer workflows, including AI-augmented coding or natural language programming (vibe coding). </li> <li>Analytical Rigor: Strong research, writing, and analytical skills. You are able to distill legislative and regulatory texts into clear, business-friendly advice and analysis.</li> <li>Initiative: Self-starter mentality. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, developing and initiating new projects. You thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.</li> <li>Curiosity: Willingness to learn, ask questions, and dig deep into novel issue sets with diligence, speed, and energy.</li> <li>Communication: Strong interpersonal and communications skills. You can articulate complex technology and policy concepts to cross-functional and public audiences. Proficiency in English, both written and oral, is required.</li> </ul> Bonus Points <ul> <li>Prior experience teaching AI tooling or adoption to a non-technical user base.</li> <li>Prior experience (including internships, clinical work, or research) in government, a public policy organization, trade association, or a technology company.</li> <li>Familiarity with Cloudflare’s products, cloud computing infrastructure, and the general mechanics of how the Internet works.</li> </ul> Compensation Compensation may be adjusted depending on work location. <ul> <li>For Washington D.C. based hires: Estimated hourly rate of $24/hr.</li> </ul><div class="content-conclusion">What Makes Cloudflare Special? We’re not just a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company. We’re a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company with a soul. Fundamental to our mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet. <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/protecting-free-expression-online/">Project Galileo</a>: Since 2014, we've equipped more than 2,400 journalism and civil society organizations in 111 countries with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, technology already used by Cloudflare’s enterprise customers--at no cost. <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/athenian/">Athenian Project</a>: In 2017, we created the Athenian Project to ensure that state and local governments have the highest level of protection and reliability for free, so that their constituents have access to election information and voter registration. Since the project, we've provided services to more than 425 local government election websites in 33 states. <a href="https://1.1.1.1/">1.1.1.1</a>: We released<a href="https://1.1.1.1/"> 1.1.1.1</a> to help fix the foundation of the Internet by building a faster, more secure and privacy-centric public DNS resolver. This is available publicly for everyone to use - it is the first consumer-focused service Cloudflare has ever released. Here’s the deal - we don’t store client IP addresses never, ever. We will continue to abide by our<a href="https://developers.cloudflare.com/1.1.1.1/privacy/public-dns-resolver"> privacy commitment</a> and ensure that no user data is sold to advertisers or used to target consumers. Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? We’d love to hear from you! Please note that applicants who progress to the offer stage of the interview process may be asked to attend an in-person interview within one of the Cloudflare Offices or Cloudflare Hubs.  More details about this will be available at that stage of the interview process. This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Please note that any offer of employment may be conditioned on your authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export laws without sponsorship for an export license. Cloudflare is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actual race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. We are an AA/Veterans/Disabled Employer. Cloudflare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to, changing the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.  If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please contact us via e-mail at hr@cloudflare.com or via mail at 101 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107.</div>

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