Occasional Paper  

A Roadmap for Governing AI: Technology Governance and Power Sharing Liberalism

This paper aims to provide a roadmap to AI governance. In contrast to the reigning paradigms, we argue that AI governance should not be merely a reactive, punitive, status-quo-defending enterprise, but rather the expression of an expansive, proactive vision for technology—to advance human flourishing. Advancing human flourishing in turn requires democratic/political stability and economic empowerment. Our overarching point is that answering questions of how we should govern this emerging technology is a chance not merely to categorize and manage narrow risk but also to construe the risks and opportunities much more broadly, and to make correspondingly large investments in public goods, personnel, and democracy itself. To lay out this vision, we take four steps. First, we define some central concepts in the field, disambiguating between forms of technological harms and risks. Second, we review normative frameworks governing emerging technology that are currently in use around the globe. Third, we outline an alternative normative framework based in power-sharing liberalism. Fourth, we walk through a series of governance tasks that ought to be accomplished by any policy framework guided by our model of power-sharing liberalism. We follow these with proposals for implementation vehicles.

More from this Program

Sunset and Renew: Section 230 Should Protect Human Speech, Not Algorithmic Virality

Commentary

Sunset and Renew: Section 230 Should Protect Human Speech, Not Algorithmic Virality

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Senior Fellow Allison Stanger, in collaboration with Jaron Lanier and Audrey Tang, advocate for a “repeal and renew” approach to Section 230 in an effort to reform the current social media ecosystem.

Can Higher Education Help Renovate American Democracy?
Photo of several people wearing graduation caps

Video

Can Higher Education Help Renovate American Democracy?

The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation hosted a webinar with several panelists to discuss a host of new campus initiatives that offer promising pathways for higher education to reassert its vital role in strengthening democracy by engaging students’ civic learning and supporting their development as civic actors.

Tech Policy that (Actually) Serves the People

Commentary

Tech Policy that (Actually) Serves the People

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Fellow Ami Fields-Meyer lays out research questions for developing a new U.S. tech policy agenda that puts people first.

More on this Issue

Sunset and Renew: Section 230 Should Protect Human Speech, Not Algorithmic Virality

Commentary

Sunset and Renew: Section 230 Should Protect Human Speech, Not Algorithmic Virality

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Senior Fellow Allison Stanger, in collaboration with Jaron Lanier and Audrey Tang, advocate for a “repeal and renew” approach to Section 230 in an effort to reform the current social media ecosystem.

Tech Policy that (Actually) Serves the People

Commentary

Tech Policy that (Actually) Serves the People

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Fellow Ami Fields-Meyer lays out research questions for developing a new U.S. tech policy agenda that puts people first.

The National Security Case for Public AI
tech background with a square in the middle

Occasional Paper

The National Security Case for Public AI

Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Fellow Alex Pascal and Vanderbilt Law Professor Ganesh Sitaraman make the case that public options for AI and public utility-style regulation of AI will enhance national security by ensuring innovation and competition, preventing abuses of power and conflicts of interest, and advancing public interest and national security goals.