Marc Aidinoff
Incoming Assistant Professor, Harvard University & Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Advanced Study
Conference on the Political Economy of Artificial Intelligence
Convened by the GETTING-Plurality Research Network, a project of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, housed at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
In-Person Event
9:00 am – 6:00 pm EDT
Related Programs
The Political Economy of AI Conference is convened by the GETTING-Plurality Research Network, a project of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, housed at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
This conference will convene multi-sector and multidisciplinary experts and practitioners to explore and examine topics such as:
- The political and economic structures, incentives and motivations for frontier AI model development and deployment of AI systems
- Alternative models from the history of technological innovation
- Current AI policy
- The political implications of the economic dynamics driving AI
- Different potential pathways for AI advancement and innovation that reliably and sustainably serve the public interest
Inquiries
For any inquiries, please reach out to Sarah Hubbard at sarah_hubbard@hks.harvard.edu.
Agenda
9:00 AM–9:30 AM
Breakfast Available
9:30 AM–10:00 AM
Opening Remarks
- Danielle Allen, Harvard University
10:00 AM–10:50 AM
Lightning Talks: The AI Stack Examined
- Yochai Benkler, Harvard University
- Sharon Block, Harvard University
- Noman Bashir, MIT
- Suggested reading: The Climate and Sustainability Implications of Generative AI
10:50 AM–11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Panel: Unpacking Motivations Behind AI Innovation
- Janet Haven, Data & Society
- Amba Kak, AI Now
- Suggested reading: AI Nationalism(s): Global Industrial Policy Approaches to AI
- Julius Krein, American Affairs
- Moderator: Danielle Allen, Harvard University
12:00 PM–1:00 PM
Lunch
12:30 PM–1:00 PM
Lunch Session: Democratic Control of the Means of Prediction
- Maximilian Kasy, University of Oxford
- Taylor Jo Isenberg, Economic Security Project
1:00 PM–1:15 PM
Break
1:15 PM–2:00 PM
Panel: Alternative Models of Technological Innovation in History
- Marc Aidinoff, Institute for Advanced Study
- Andy Russell, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Mar Hicks, University of Virginia
- Moderator: Susannah Glickman, Stony Brook University
2:00 PM–2:45 PM
Panel: AI in the Public Interest – Federal & State Perspectives
- Secretary Jason Snyder, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Secretary Yvonne Hao, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Ami Fields-Meyer, Former White House
- Moderator: Alex Pascal, Harvard University
2:45 PM–3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM–3:45 PM
Panel: Building a Political Economy of AI for our Shared Future – Imagining Alternatives
- Glen Weyl, Microsoft
- Suggested reading: Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy
- Nathan Sanders, Harvard University
- Suggested reading: How public AI can strengthen democracy
- Rebecca Henderson, Harvard University
- Moderator: Allison Stanger, Middlebury College
3:45 PM–4:00 PM
Closing Remarks
- Alex Pascal, Harvard University
4:00 PM–6:00 PM
Reception
Speakers
Danielle Allen
James Bryant Conant University Professor
Noman Bashir
Computing & Climate Impact Fellow, MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium
Yochai Benkler
Professor, Harvard Law School & Faculty Co-Director, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Sharon Block
Professor of Practice, Harvard Law School & Executive Director, Center for Labor and a Just Economy
Susannah Glickman
Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University
Yvonne Hao
Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Janet Haven
Executive Director, Data & Society
Rebecca Henderson
John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard Business School
Amba Kak
Co-Executive Director, AI Now Institute
Maximilian Kasy
Professor of Economics, University of Oxford
Julius Krein
Editor, American Affairs
Alexander Pascal
Senior Fellow, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
Andrew Russell
Interim Provost, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Nathan Sanders
Affiliate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Jason Snyder
Secretary of the Executive Office of Technology Service and Security & Commonwealth CIO, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Allison Stanger
Non-resident Senior Fellow, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation;
Co-Director and Co-Investigator, GETTING-Plurality Research Network
Glen Weyl
Research Lead, Microsoft Research, Plural Technology Collaboratory & Founder, RadicalxChange Foundation