I got a pretty big "local boosterism" subtext out of the quotes he gives to the reporter, which is also a traditional role of federal representatives. Lots of playing up how excited he was about the AI innovation going on in his district and NoVA in general. Says that visiting two local AI sites is what inspired him to do the masters: "an AI company in Arlington" and "George Mason’s new Innovation Initiative in Arlington". Now he's doing a masters at George Mason, which is the closest university to his district (he's in VA-08, and it's in the neighboring VA-11).