Does AI Need Governance? States, Markets and the Digital Ecosystem

The Internet Governance Project (IGP) announces its 9th annual workshop, focused on the critical topic of AI governance and its implications for information and communications technology (ICT) policy. This year's event will bring together a diverse group of thought leaders, researchers, and policymakers in Atlanta on October 17-18 to present and discuss cutting-edge analyses of AI governance issues.

In recent years, the debate around AI has been dominated by a hyperbolic "doomer" narrative, exemplified by Nick Bostrom's 2014 book "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies." However, IGP believes it's time to move the conversation in a more informed and constructive direction. Our workshop will explore what it really means to "govern" machine learning, as "AI" applications are applications of computing power, data, networks and software. When we speak of "governing AI," are we committing ourselves to governing any and every form of digital information and communications technology? Is the prospect of artificial general intelligence (AGI), which has animated so much of the governance discussion, real? What are the appropriate governance responses?

In his AI Superpowers, Kai-Fu Lee highlighted how the US and China’s competing AI economies led to social transformations and raised the geopolitical stakes. The US government has since sought to militarize AI development through export controls, bans on foreign AI apps like TikTok, and industrial policies. More recently, some have argued we need to “regulate compute” to provide an incumbent advantage for US firms while fulfilling the industrial policy mandates. At the same time, many AI firms are struggling to find their footing having made large investments in AI hardware while serious questions are being asked about overblown AI hype.

Our workshop will tackle many of these critical questions, including:

• How can we govern AI while maintaining the free flow of scientific knowledge, open trade in ICT devices and services, and competitive, bottom-up application development in a globalized market?
• What is the relationship between AI applications and freedom of expression, including issues like propaganda, disinformation, and content guardrails?
• How do we navigate the political economy of data as an input to AI applications, considering property rights, exclusion, fair use, and copyright?
• How should AI firms weigh the benefits of open source arrangements against data enclosures for a competitive advantage?
• What are the implications of AI capabilities for privacy and cybersecurity, and how can we ensure effective global or national governance?
• What can a comprehensive review of global regulatory and industrial policy initiatives in the EU, China, India, the US, and other blocks tell us about AI governance?
  Join us to explore the complex relationships between AI, international relations, and governance. We invite you to join us as a participant observer in person by registering for the in-person event, or register for the livestream to watch remotely.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Coda, 756 West Peachtree Street Northwest, Atlanta, United States