AI in Public Policy: Governing the Algorithmic Age
Balancing Innovation, Regulation, and Public Trust
Description
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping how governments deliver services, enforce laws, and engage with citizens. As adoption accelerates, the urgent question arises: how do we govern AI responsibly? This panel brings together leading voices from government, technology, academia, and civil society to explore how public institutions can harness AI’s power while upholding ethics, transparency, accountability, and equity. We'll discuss how emerging policies, regulations, and governance frameworks can encourage innovation while safeguarding public interest — and what it will take to build systems worthy of public trust.
Background
Artificial Intelligence is transforming how governments operate, from streamlining public services and enhancing law enforcement to informing policy decisions and improving citizen engagement. AI-driven solutions promise greater efficiency, predictive insights, and data-driven governance, potentially revolutionizing public sector capabilities. However, this rapid adoption also raises critical ques…
Date: 2025-05-28
Time (ET): 6:00 PM EDT, May 28, 2025
Time (Local): 10:00 PM UTC, May 28, 2025
Location: online
Speakers
Eric Goldman
Associate Dean for Research, Santa Clara University School of Law
Daniel Schiff
Assistant Professor of Technology Policy , Purdue Unviversity
Maria Nagawa
Postdoctoral Fellow, Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at Princeton University
Mutale Nkonde
CEO, AI for the People
Laura Caroli
Senior Fellow, Wadhwani AI Center, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Gabriel Weil
Assistant Professor , Touro University Law Center
Guided Questions
Daniel Schiff
As an AI governance researcher, how do you envision the role of interdisciplinary AI ethics frameworks and public policy interventions in ensuring responsible AI development, particularly in high-stakes sectors like finance, education, and criminal justice?
Eric Goldman
Given your recent work on The Regulatory Risks to Generative AI, how should policymakers approach regulating generative AI tools in a way that mitigates legal uncertainties—such as IP infringement, defamation, or Section 230 exposure—without stifling innovation or undermining the broad utility these technologies offer?
Maria Nagawa
How can the design of incentive structures within public agencies determine whether AI tools strengthen institutional capacity or instead erode it—and what safeguards are necessary to ensure these technologies build, rather than undermine, public trust?
Mutale Nkonde
With your leadership in advancing racial justice and ethical AI, how can policymakers and technology companies address algorithmic bias in a way that goes beyond technical fixes to also confront the underlying social inequalities these systems often amplify, and what role do you see media narratives playing in shaping public understanding and accountability for AI-driven harms?
Laura Caroli
With your expertise at CSIS in guiding AI policy within a global and geopolitical context, how can international cooperation be strengthened to establish shared ethical AI standards, especially as nations pursue conflicting interests in AI development?
Gabriel Weil
As generative AI systems become more integrated into high-stakes decision-making, where should legal liability lie when these systems produce harmful or unlawful outcomes? How do you think current legal doctrines—such as product liability, agency, or negligence—should evolve to assign responsibility among developers, deployers, and users of generative AI?