Watch: A conversation on public trust in AI

The big picture: On October 15, Axios hosted a virtual event exploring the current state of public trust around AI and how businesses and government can work together on developing and regulating the safe use of the technology.

• Axios reporters hosted one-on-one interviews with Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Signal President Meredith Whittaker.

Why it matters: As technology continues to rapidly advance, a majority of American voters are worried about the risks of AI and skeptical about the ability of tech executives to regulate AI, according to an August poll conducted by the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute.

Rep. Lieu discussed a bill he introduced that would establish a bipartisan blue-ribbon commission composed of AI experts to form recommendations for congress on how to regulate AI.

• "It's important to get more members and more American public to learn more about AI, hear from the diverse range of viewpoints, and then start from a common ground. Because you have people who know a lot about AI, you have people that have never experienced it and then you have people in between… That's why we should have a national blue-ribbon AI commission that can establish some of that common ground."

State of play: Rep. Lieu said this effort was halted by the House Speaker race.

• "...Because of the chaos of the Republican caucus, we're just trying to stop stupid stuff from happening. We had to stop a default from happening–our nation's debts, we had to stop a government shutdown, don't have a Speaker. And so we're just trying to do very basic things. Once we can get basic things done, then we're going to be able to work on issues such as AI."

Meanwhile, Whittaker shared how big tech companies could play a role in the public's distrust in AI.

• "...We need to recognize that in the current moment, it is a set of technologies that are largely controlled by huge tech corporations that operate…all but unaccountably, and that currently have significant control within our social and economic institutions, providing core infrastructures, collecting huge amounts of surveillance data…increasing our political and economic dependency, again, on a handful of all but unaccountable actors. So I think there is significant reason for distrust. And in this case, distrust is actually a healthy immune response to a fairly undemocratic set of technologies."

Sponsored content:

Paul Tesluk, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bentley University, explained how the university is creating an AI major to help students understand how to navigate AI in business.

• "These are technologies that will shape the workforce of tomorrow and the way every business operates. It's already happening. So business leaders and workers entering the workforce will need to understand AI."

Thank you Bentley University for sponsoring this event.