A national Public Assembly on High Risk Artificial Intelligence was commissioned by Dr. Baobao Zhang, Maxwell Dean Assistant Professor of the Politics of AI at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The “AI Assembly” is the first nationwide deliberative engagement event (public assembly) on Artificial Intelligence in the United States. CNDP designed and implemented the AI Assembly, managed the Oversight Panel, and led project outreach activities.
Background & Context of AI Assembly
The Public Assembly on Artificial Intelligence was convened virtually over eight days in October 2023.
The AI Assembly explored public attitudes regarding risk and uses of artificial intelligence across multiple domains including administrative records, health records, browser / search history, and face recognition. Assembly participants heard from experts and deliberated about examples of AI systems regarding:
- assessing risk;
- exploring accountability and responsibility;
- potential harms associated with various uses of AI.
Forty Assembly participants were randomly selected from across the U.S. to include a broadly representative mix of residents in terms of age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, employment status, political affiliation, and geographic distribution. Participants were compensated for their time ($1,200 for the entire Assembly) and received technical support in advance of, and throughout, the event.
Findings from the AI Assembly will be circulated among stakeholders in order to shape future policy discussions on AI governance and policy development, risk and regulatory frameworks, as well as responsible and trustworthy AI. The AI Assembly will also serve as a starting point for exploring how to more effectively involve the public in future discussions regarding AI and emerging technologies.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT- AI Public Assembly
- Location: Online
- No. of Events: 1
- Length/Duration: 8 days
- No. of Participants: 40
- Targeted Participants: United States residents
- Recruitment: Random selection and stratification
- Target Outcome: Assembly Reports; Supplemental Research to Guide Policy Development
Partners
Funders
The AI Assembly is funded by Schmidt Futures through an AI2050 Early Career Fellowship awarded to Dr. Zhang. Project outreach activities are supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Survey costs and research team support has been provided by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).
Oversight Panel
An Oversight Panel has been convened to provide feedback on the Public Assembly specification and to review expert witness materials for clarity, accuracy, and breadth.
The Oversight Panel includes:
- Dr. Catherine (Cat) Aiken (Director of Data Science and Research at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University)
- Courtney Lang (Vice President of Policy, Trust, Data, and Technology, Information Technology Industry Council)
- Dr. Mike Miller (Managing Director, Moynihan Center, City College of NY – formerly Social Science Research Center)
- Dr. Tina Nabatchi (Director of Program for Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration, Strasser Endowed Professor of Public Administration, Maxwell School at Syracuse University)
- Brian Scarpelli (Executive Director, Connected Health Initiative, ACT: The App Association)
- Dr. Allan Tucker (Head of Intelligent Data Analysis Group, Reader in Department of Computer Science at Brunel University)
Individuals on the Public Assembly on AI Oversight Panel were asked to contribute to the Public Assembly on AI based on their personal perspective and professional experience and were not asked to represent the views of their affiliated institutions, organizations, or companies.
Any results and findings of the Public Assembly on Artificial Intelligence represent the work of the Assembly participants. As such, the results and findings of the Public Assembly on AI do not, in any way, represent the views of the Oversight Panel members (and/or their affiliated institutions), project funders (Schmidt Futures and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund), subject matter experts (and/or their affiliated institutions), or other participating organizations unless explicitly noted.
**Only those potential applicants who have volunteered for the Public Assembly via Verasight were eligible to participate in the Assembly due to research and Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols.**
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