Steve Lohr of the New York Times recently wrote about a three-day gathering on AI regulation at MIT in January 2019.
Senior policymakers representing countries in the 36-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) came together in hopes of reaching a coherence for AI policy by this summer. Their recommendations could be used to set standards in many countries and help shape the future of AI developments for years to come.
At the event, Daniel Weitzner, a former policy adviser under President Obama, suggested, “If you want people to trust this stuff, the government has to play a role.” On the other hand, policymakers at the event agreed that the AI train should be allowed to flourish. Japan is investing heavily on AI with a particular emphasis on “start-ups, small companies and young people,” said Professor Osamu Sudoh of the University of Tokyo, a senior adviser to the Japanese government on AI strategy.
At the same time, international cooperation is encouraged to bridge differences between the superpower and the not. “The era of moving fast and breaking everything is coming to a close,” said R. David Edelman, MIT director of the project on technology, policy, and national security.
OECD’s efforts toward shaping the futures of AI have been recognized by AIWS. In 2018, Governor Dukakis on behalf of AIWS presented Secretary-General Angel Gurría of OECD with the 2018 Leader in AI World Society Award. This award honors a global leader with commendable leadership and forward thinking in AI. AIWS looks forward to further collaboration with OECD in the future.