<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="color:black;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Dear colleagues, </span><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">The White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP) request for input to develop a </span><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/05/26/2023-11346/request-for-information-national-priorities-for-artificial-intelligence" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">National Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Strategy</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black"> offers historians of technology an
opportunity to offer historically grounded suggestions for contemporary government
policy.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> With a submission deadline of July 7, we need
to move quickly.</span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">What follows is
an experiment, not a set blueprint. Please
freely comment about procedure as well as content. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">I
propose two lines of action: people responding individually and working together
to submit responses. My focus is the
latter. </span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">The request has
29 questions, divided into five areas: </span><b><i><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> </span></i></b></p><p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><b><i> </i></b>Protecting rights, safety,
and national security</span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> Advancing equity and
strengthening civil rights </span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> Bolstering democracy and
civic participation</span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> Promoting economic growth and
good jobs</span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> Innovating in public services</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">OSTP is limiting a response </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">to ten pages (excluding
references), thus encouraging respondents to establish their priorities using
their expertise and assessment of the questions’ importance. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">The questions ask whether the diffusion of AI can help or hurt
the United States in those areas both in general and for specific subsectors. Historical experience --</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">
such as the (uneven) diffusion of the Internet, of electrification, of
transportation technologies; redlining; and access to financing – can shape our responses. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">I suggest organizing to</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">- discuss what questions are the highest
priorities</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">- form subgroups to focus on those
questions</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">- critique and edit suggestions</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">- submit responses by July 7</span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">If you are interested, please respond to this email or contribute
to a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P0G-uKP2cG5LpxO9GUixPqVfJY5fyAQBeor7h0o4LzQ/edit?usp=sharing" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)" target="_blank">Google
Docs</a>. All responses to the OSTP
request will be publicly available (which creates an opportunity for more
research – see below). </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">We
can use Google Docs and zoom to communicate and coordinate. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">I encourage thinking about
publishing your responses in other venues (such as <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">theconversation.com</a>, History
News Network) to reach wider audiences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;color:black">Future research: </span><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">After July 7, all the submitted responses will be publicly
available. That will be an opportunity
to analyze the perceptions of the respondents about AI. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif">Thank you for considering this opportunity. The attached file contains this letter and the 29 questions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> </span></b></p></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Stay sane</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:verdana,sans-serif">,</span><font face="verdana, sans-serif"> </font></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Jonathan</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Jonathan Coopersmith</span><br></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Professor Emeritus</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Department of History</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Texas A&M University</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">College Station, TX 77843-4236</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">979.739.4708 (cell)</font></div><div><br></div><div><div><font color="#222222" face="verdana, sans-serif">"<a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2023/05/technological-obsolescence" target="_blank">Technological obsolescence,</a>" National Academy of Engineering <i>Perspectives</i> May 23, 2023</font></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://theconversation.com/its-taking-more-time-to-cast-a-ballot-in-us-elections-and-even-longer-for-black-and-hispanic-voters-191711" target="_blank">It's taking longer to vote - especially if you are Black or Hispanic</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/" target="_blank">theconversation.com</a> </font></div></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Preserving space archives: <a href="https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/" target="_blank">https://www.toboldlypreserve.space/</a></font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><i>FAXED. The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine</i> (Johns Hopkins University Press) </font><br></div><div><br><br><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></div>