Brown CS News

This summer, sixteen of the nation’s future tech and policy leaders came to Brown University for a program that’s the first of its kind worldwide. The Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign (CNTR)’s AI Policy Summer School aims to enable these young scientists to conduct high-quality, policy-informed AI research, to empower them to advocate for new AI policies or changes to existing policy, and to build a pipeline of qualified technologists to fill emerging needs in government. Two hundred and seventy individuals applied for the inaugural session, led by Brown CS faculty member Serena Booth, and three undergraduates, two postdoctoral researchers, and eleven graduate students were accepted.

“These students joined us,” Serena says, “to directly contribute to an optimistic vision for the future role of scientists in the political process: they will go on to work in government, to conduct policy-literate technical research, to train other students, and to send future students to us to learn how to work with policymakers in a substantive capacity.”

The first week, held on the Brown campus, included seminars, reading groups, and discussions on AI policy fundamentals led by experts from across the nation. The second week featured travel to Washington to discuss relevant legislation with Congressional offices, executive agencies, and civil society organizations. Speakers included Alan Davidson (former Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information), Nik Marda (Technical Lead for AI Governance at Mozilla), Inioluwa Deborah Raji (a leader in auditing AI systems), and Helen Toner (Director of Strategy and Foundational Research Grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology), among many others. 

“This summer school was one of the best experiences I've had in grad school,” says one of the attendees. “I learned so much about the intersection of science and policymaking, how to make a change in the tech industry through engaging with government, and the responsible AI and AI legislation landscape...It gave me an unprecedented level of access and exposure and it's definitely going to influence the next steps I take in my career.”

CNTR’s AI Policy Summer School could scarcely be more timely. Less than twenty-four hours after it began, the White House released America’s AI Action Plan, which prioritizes artificial intelligence as a cornerstone of American innovation. During their visits to Congress, the AI Policy Summer School attendees worked to find points of collaboration with the legislative teams who will be overseeing the plan’s implementation. For example, one of the priorities of the AI Action Plan is to build AI infrastructure, so students worked with members of Congress to discuss bipartisan plans to reduce red tape in constructing sustainable datacenters.

Suresh Venkatasubramanian is Professor of Data Science and Computer Science, Deputy Director of Brown’s Data Science Institute, and Director of the CNTR. He says that students in tech have a hunger for a deeper engagement with policy work.

“This summer school,” he says, “as well as Brown’s new online Master’s program in Data Policy and Governance, the Watson Institute’s recent work in AI and human rights, and Brown’s new AI Research Institute on Interaction for AI Assistants (ARIA), all showcase our deep, stakeholder-driven, and human approach. At a time when public trust in science is diminishing, most universities are narrowing their focus to STEM alone, but Brown is educating a generation of computer scientists who are at the cutting edge of policy as well as technology. It’s both an enlightened and an interdisciplinary way of thinking about tech and AI that we expect to have tremendous impact.”

For more information, click the link that follows to contact Brown CS Communications Manager Jesse C. Polhemus.