Tech Policy: Convening Stakesholders to Shape the Future
Princeton, NJ - A day-long conference "Tech Policy: The Next Ten Years" organized by Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) aimed to convene key stakeholders in academia, government, and private sector to explore the agenda for tech policy and the United States' role globally.
The conference brought together influential figures such as Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission; Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and former dean of Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; Chloé Bakalar, chief ethicist at Meta; and Gabriel Weinberg, CEO and founder of DuckDuckGo.
This conference marked an important step in addressing the growing complexities surrounding technology's impact on various aspects of society. According to Arvind Narayanan, CITP director and professor of computer science, a diverse group of experts from different disciplines will be necessary to shape policies that balance technological advancements with societal considerations.
Key themes emerged during the conference emphasizing the need for cooperation between technologists, artists, academics, lawyers, economists, philosophers, and other stakeholders to tackle pressing challenges such as artificial intelligence, privacy rights, democratic integrity, education, healthcare, voting rights, crime prevention, social welfare programs, national security, etc. "Today and in the next decade, nearly every domestic and international policy issue is, at the same time, a technology policy issue," said Alondra Nelson, The Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study.
Another focus of discussions centered on AI-related dilemmas such as deepfake videos. Bakalar expressed concerns over these issues calling for input from constitutional scholars and security experts to address technical limitations. According to her, "these are not problems that can be solved purely through engineering fixes."
The speakers stressed the importance of tech policy in shaping public service careers with increasing recognition of its power. In her keynote speech, Rosenworcel emphasized the significance of acquiring technology skills, as well as recognizing their value for future leaders.
Students from Princeton CITP also shared recent initiatives that explored state attorneys general's roles and ad transparency issues tied to discriminatory effects seen in on-line marketing.
At the heart of this vision lies collaboration among policymakers - government, educators, lawyers, and thinkers. This conference served as another testament of a joint commitment between researchers like Amaney Jamal from SPIA "giving students the tools" to be policy influencers.