Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize industries, enhance workforce productivity, and address complex societal challenges such as climate change. AI’s promise, however, comes with significant ethical, security, and technical challenges, such as ensuring its equitable and safe deployment and safeguarding against biases against marginalized communities.
FAS advances the development of comprehensive AI policies that address current challenges and anticipate future issues. We engage with the public, academia, and the private sector to foster a broader understanding of artificial intelligence policy issues, gathering diverse perspectives to inform policy development, and we work to ensure that government agencies have the technical assistance and talent needed to execute on AI priorities.
Soft law was never meant to be a permanent solution. Treating it as one, and letting the sandcastle stand in for the skyscraper indefinitely, is how we end up with a decade of voluntary commitments and no enforceable accountability to show for it.
These ideas aim to advance the detailed policy solutions needed to foster public trust and implement fairness in the adoption of AI across diverse domains, from healthcare and government benefits to rural access, education, and worker protections.
While a few states have taken steps to implement decision-making mechanisms for certain AI systems, too many leaders are simply accepting narratives about AI’s purported public benefit at face value – jumping to the “how” of AI implementation before thoroughly vetting potential systems and deciding whether they are appropriate to use at all.
When properly structured — with specific numeric targets, secured financial obligations, independent monitoring, and meaningful enforcement — CBAs transform data center deals into durable community partnerships.