How Governments Should Manage the Rise of AI

No audio? Hover over the video player, and tap the Click to Unmute button.

Already an FP Subscriber?

On-demand recordings of FP Live conversations are available to FP subscribers.

A strange thing is happening in the world of artificial intelligence. The very people who are leading its development are warning of the immense risks of their work. A recent statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?

It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?

For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor Alondra Nelson, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can watch the full discussion or read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.

Video clips from this event

  • U.S. President Joe Biden’s former top tech policymaker says it’s up to the government to set boundaries, and that Microsoft, OpenAI, and others should not be allowed to self-regulate and decide what the guardrails are going to be. 

  • Alondra Nelson, Biden’s former top tech policymaker, warns that the United States must find ways to collaborate with China on the significant risk posed by AI.

  • Watch Biden’s former top AI thinker, Alondra Nelson, discuss how we should begin to think about regulating artificial intelligence.

Read the Transcript

Dr. Alondra Nelson, wearing a dark suit jacket and a patterned scarf, poses with her hand on a table, for a portrait at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Circular light bursts surround her face.

How to Regulate AI

Biden’s former top tech policymaker explains how guardrails around technology should work.

Insider  |  Ravi Agrawal

Go to the FP Live Podcast page

Prefer to listen? Follow the FP Live podcast for the entire conversation, plus other in-depth discussions, wherever you get your podcasts.

Related

Upcoming

Back to the FP Live landing page

 Discussions

On-Demand from FP Live

The Trump-Xi Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to great fanfare but left with little to show for it. What does the Trump-Xi summit reveal about the balance of power between the world’s two biggest economies?

China scholar Rana Mitter joined FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to debrief on what was gained from this diplomatic mission.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Is Russia the Winner in Iran?

While much of the world is suffering from the spike in energy prices, Russia has enjoyed a rare windfall from increased oil revenues. Alexander Gabuev argues that U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves in Iran and Venezuela are not only a boon to Russian interests but also will push Moscow into a deeper partnership with Beijing. The director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center joined FP’s Ravi Agrawal to explain how Russia is navigating a moment of particular global flux.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Inside Iran

How are regular Iranians coping with months of war and economic pressure? How have U.S. and Israeli attacks changed their perception of their own government? Journalist Ali Hashem spent weeks in Tehran since the war began and argues that Iran’s current leaders have adapted and unified over the course of the conflict. Hashem sat down with FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to discuss what he’s been seeing and hearing in the country.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

FP Live: The Ask-Me-Anything Edition

On a special ask-me-anything episode, regular host Ravi Agrawal will take stock of a world at war. What does the Iran conflict mean for the global economy or traditional alliances? More than a year into U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, how are world leaders navigating his leadership? And what of the U.S.-China relationship? FP Live’s executive producer, Dana Sherne, turned the tables on Agrawal, taking questions from FP subscribers and viewers alike.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Foreign Policy’s forum for live journalism, convening experts and world leaders.

Contact FP Live

Enter your email address to manage your FP Live notifications preferences.

Manage your FP Live notifications preferences:

Your email address:

Not You? Log Out

All FP Email Preferences Subscribe

How Governments Should Manage the Rise of AI

Add to Calendar:

  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline trigger="click" customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline trigger="click" customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline trigger="click" customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline trigger="click" customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" inline trigger="click" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css" >
  • statement released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, signed by hundreds of important AI executives and researchers, said: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”</p> <p>Extinction? Nuclear war? If they’re so worried, why don’t these scientists just stop?</p> <p>It’s easier said than done. Nuclear scientists didn’t stop until they perfected the bomb. And AI has innumerable benefits, too. But the statement, alongside a chorus of recent calls for government regulation of AI, raises several questions: What should the rules governing the development of AI look like? Who crafts them? Who polices them? How do these norms exist in tandem with society’s existing laws? How do we account for differences among cultures and countries?</p> <p>For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with the academic and policy advisor <strong>Alondra Nelson</strong>, who served in the White House for the first two years of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Nelson was the first African American and the first woman of color to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and led the drafting of an influential <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/">Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights</a>. Nelson is currently a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research center in Princeton, New Jersey. FP subscribers can <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/">watch the full discussion or <a href=https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/"https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/06/how-to-regulate-ai/">read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.</p> " location="https://foreignpolicy.com/live/should-governments-regulate-ai/" iCalFileName="should-governments-regulate-ai" lightMode="bodyScheme" buttonStyle="flat" hideIconButton hideIconList hideIconModal hideCheckmark inline trigger="click" customCss="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/static/stylesheets/add-to-calendar-overrides-fplive.css?v7" >

Loading graphics