California’s ‘digital democracy’ initiative invites residents to help shape AI policy
Bob Rowan via Getty Images
State leaders will use the public’s input to develop an AI action plan to inform policies and regulations of the tech, one official said.
California officials want residents to help shape policies regarding artificial intelligence under what leaders believe is the nation’s first state-level digital democracy effort.
Engaged California, the state’s digital community engagement program, comes from officials’ recognition that “we have the tools and technology at our disposal now that we should be able to include the lived experience and perspectives of constituents more often and in a more meaningful way than just on the typical election cycle,”Jeffery Marino, director of the Office of Data and Innovation told Route Fifty.
Under the initiative, the state will collect residents’ feedback on how AI is impacting their work and the economy to inform its decision-making and state policy, state officials said in a statement last week. The public’s input will ultimately help officials develop an AI action plan for government leaders.
“We’ve got to be clear-eyed about this moment: AI is moving fast, bringing enormous opportunity, but also real risks. Californians deserve a seat at the table as we shape what’s to come,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
State officials are gathering that information and feedback through an online tool where people are prompted to share details such as the industry they work in, how they believe AI could affect their workplace and what state lawmakers should do about those impacts. The tool will also collect demographic data, such as participants’ age, gender and race and ethnicity.
Residents will also be invited to participate in live virtual sessions to further discuss their sentiments around AI and offer their policy recommendations, which state leaders hope will help them develop more inclusive and equitable AI legislation, Marino said.
Protecting workers from AI is top of mind for many Americans, according to a recent survey from the AFL-CIO, which found that protecting workers from AI is top of mind for many Americans. Nearly 80% of the 1,588 respondents said it is extremely or very important to develop AI in a way that protects workers from the tech’s potential harms.
For example, 92% of survey participants said they supported holding governments at all levels accountable for their safe and responsible use of AI. The same percentage of people were in favor of transparency and accountability requirements for employers who leverage AI, according to the survey.
“High support for these protections align with common concerns about AI expressed by focus group participants, including decisions made without human involvement and AI being deployed in workplaces without worker input or training,” the report says.
Oftentimes, residents may feel like their efforts to communicate or comment on leadership actions go “into a black box,” Marino said. “Part of our goal is to rebuild that trust, and the way that you rebuild that trust is to show that you're listening, [and] that you're doing something with the information,” he added.
Ultimately, Marino said that “the main driver for taking this [digital democracy] approach was to cut through the noise and try to lift up the voices of the average Californian.”