UC Berkeley will launch this spring an interdisciplinary initiative to research and propose solutions for governing artificial intelligence, two prominent research institutions at the university announced today.
The AI Policy Hub, which will be run by Berkeley’s AI Security Initiative and the University of California’s CITRIS Policy Lab, will support graduate students’ research in this area and use that work to inform policymakers and others. It also aims to expand and diversify who has expertise in AI policy.
“AI systems are already causing significant harm, and the risks are multiplying as AI systems increase in complexity and scale. Meanwhile, there are growing power imbalances as the number of organizations and countries that control the majority of AI development remain small,” Jessica Newman, director of the AI Security Initiative, said in a Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity news release. “Recommendations resulting from this research will not only provide guidance to policymakers and decision-makers today but will also assess how potential future shifts will test the resiliency of the recommendations.”
The AI Security Initiative is a part of the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, which is housed in Berkeley’s School of Information. The School of Information is an affiliate of Berkeley’s Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS).
The hub will collaborate with organizations across campus, including CDSS, that study AI policy and governance. Its first cohort of graduate student researchers will join this fall.
The Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit entity that aims to harness the benefits of AI for society and stem its largest risks, donated initial funds to support the hub.
"Addressing the risks posed by increasingly advanced AI could not be more urgent,” said Anthony Aguirre, executive vice president and head of policy and strategy at the Future of Life Institute. “As a leader in AI safety, security, and ethics, UC Berkeley is the perfect home for the AI Policy Hub, where world-class researchers will translate cutting-edge AI research into actionable policy insights. We look forward to working with the AI Security Initiative and the CITRIS Policy Lab on this essential effort."
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UC Berkeley Launches AI Policy Hub
March 10, 2022 | Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity