Let's Talk About Digital Threats to Democracy | What's Next in AI Regulation?

January Topic: What's Next in AI and Regulation

Presented in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Alaska

Last year was a year of vigorous debate on the topic of AI regulation, partially spurred by the groundbreaking release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022. At every level of government, both domestically and internationally, policymakers, regulators, and civil society spent the last year debating how best to regulate this revolutionary new technology.

The discussion is far from over, but 2023 saw two major developments in this arena. In the U.S., President Biden signed a sweeping Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. Meanwhile, in December, the EU reached a deal on the AI Act, the most comprehensive piece of AI legislation in the world. The defining question for 2024 is whether the U.S. Congress will meet the challenge posed by the EU AI Act and President Biden's Executive Order and pass comprehensive AI legislation, or whether the EU will continue to lead the world in the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Our guest is Dr. Nicol Turner Lee,  a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation and serves as Co-Editor-In-Chief of the TechTank blog and podcast at the Brookings Institution, which is a global think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Suggested reading: Why states and localities are acting on AI

About the series:

Disinformation. Conspiracy theories. Extremism. Surveillance. Our democracy is threatened as never before by toxic online content. The social media giants seem unable, or in some cases unwilling, to control the flood of lies and manipulative practices. The staggering — often hidden — reach of Big Tech into our lives endangers civil society, our civil rights, and our privacy. In a "post-truth" world we risk losing the shared understanding that underpins our democracy. 

Each month, we explore a different facet of this crisis with guest experts. Join us to learn, discuss, and work on possible solutions.