AI Race(s) to the Bottom?
Sponsored by the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC)
Countries and corporations around the world are vying for leadership in AI development and use, prompting widespread discussions of an “AI arms race” or “race to the bottom” in AI safety. But the competitive development of AI will take place across multiple industries and between very different sets of actors, some of which appear to be bucking the conventional wisdom by slowly and steadily “racing to the top.”
How might competitive dynamics differ from one domain to the next, and what are the likely social consequences in terms of safety, security, surveillance, and other governance issues? In this online discussion, the UC Berkeley AI Security Initiative will welcome AI policy experts to discuss when and where AI races to the bottom might be more or less harmful, and the surprising ways that specific industries are approaching AI development more cautiously and cooperatively.
Will Hunt (he/him) is a research analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) focusing on semiconductor workforce and supply chain issues. Previously, he conducted research on AI policy at the University of Oxford and at the AI Security Initiative at the Center for Long Term Cybersecurity. He has co-authored commentary on technology policy in The Wall Street Journal. Will is completing his Ph.D. in political science at the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focuses on U.S.-China technology competition. He attended Deep Springs College and holds a B.A. in political science from Yale University and an M.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Tim Hwang (he/him) is a research fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). He is the former director of the Harvard-MIT Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative, a philanthropic project working to ensure that machine learning and autonomous technologies are researched, developed, and deployed in the public interest. Previously, he was at Google, where he was the company’s global public policy lead on artificial intelligence, leading outreach to government and civil society on issues surrounding the social impact of the technology. Dubbed “The Busiest Man on the Internet” by Forbes Magazine, his current research focuses on the geopolitical aspects of computational power and machine learning hardware, and the future of media manipulation and online information warfare.
Elsa B. Kania (she/her) is an adjunct senior fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Her research focuses on Chinese military strategy, defense innovation, and emerging technologies. At CNAS, Ms. Kania has contributed to the Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Initiative. Currently, Ms. Kania is a Ph.D. candidate in Harvard University’s Department of Government.
