The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) request for input to develop a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy offers historians of technology an opportunity to offer historically grounded suggestions for contemporary government policy.  With a submission deadline of July 7, we need to move quickly.

What follows is an experiment, not a set blueprint.  Please freely comment about procedure as well as content.  I propose two lines of action: people responding individually and working together to submit responses.  My focus is the latter. 

The request has 29 questions, divided into five areas:  

  Protecting rights, safety, and national security

  Advancing equity and strengthening civil rights

  Bolstering democracy and civic participation

  Promoting economic growth and good jobs

  Innovating in public services

OSTP is limiting a response to ten pages (excluding references), thus encouraging respondents to establish their priorities using their expertise and assessment of the questions’ importance.  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 -- such as the (uneven) diffusion of the Internet, of electrification, of transportation technologies; redlining; and access to financing  – can shape our responses. 

 

I suggest organizing to

- discuss what questions are the highest priorities

- form subgroups to focus on those questions

- critique and edit suggestions

- submit responses by July 7

 

If you are interested, please respond to this email or contribute to a Google Docs.  All responses to the OSTP request will be publicly available (which creates an opportunity for more research – see below).  We can use Google Docs and zoom to communicate and coordinate. 

I encourage thinking about publishing your responses in other venues (such as theconversation.com, History News Network) to reach wider audiences.

Future research:  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. 

 

Thank you for considering this opportunity.  The attached file contains this letter and the 29 questions.