Dr Alondra Nelson: Tech for the people? event

Tech for the people? Rights and regulations in an AI era with Dr Alondra Nelson 

The event featured a keynote address from Dr Nelson followed by a panel discussion with The Hon. Victor Dominello, former NSW Minister for Digital, and Amy Persson, UTS Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor, facilitated by HTI Co-Director Ed Santow. 

Dr Nelson’s keynote reflected on the White House’s historic 2022 Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and 2023 Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI, to discuss how governing AI requires new forms of public engagement and anchoring in democratic commitments. 

In her address Dr Nelson pointed out that although we have seen many challenges with the use of AI – like national security, economic displacement, unhealthy emotional attachments – it is important to remember AI can be used for good. For example, Waymap leverages AI for accessibility by helping blind and low vision people navigate cities and other public spaces 

However, these outcomes are not inherent to the technology itself – we have to deliberately steward the outcomes we want, which requires effective governance. 

The challenge for governing AI is that it is iterative as the technology is constantly changing. To address this, Dr Nelson put forward two main tenets: expanding democratic participation and driving policy innovation. 

Dr Nelson explained that democratic participation is critical because the public has a stake in AI even if they do not understand the technical components. The public also understand the real-life context of AI applications better than technologists – so they need to be brought into the conversation during all stages of AI design and development. 

As an example, the Blueprint for the AI Bill of Rights was drafted specifically with the public in mind, rather than for a purely policy and government audience. It reflected the public’s views on AI and automation and communicated what the Government intended to do to address their concerns. By consulting with the public, the US Government sent a strong message that you do not need to understand the technical complexities of AI to have a justified say in its uses and impacts.   

With driving innovation, Dr Nelson said it is important to remember that we are regulating outcomes, such as justice and access to healthcare, rather than governing the technology in and of itself. In many cases, existing laws, rules and standards apply. However, sometimes new laws, rules, norms and standards may be needed. It is important that this process is iterative because of the rate the technology changes and use cases evolve. 

The evening finished with a thought-provoking panel discussion covering topics including enforcing existing laws governing AI, the impact of the NSW AI Assurance Framework, the uneven impacts of AI harms, and the key role of universities in developing good technology and AI reform proposals.