Brown University Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign (CNTR) advocates for deeper understanding of and better policy around AI’s role in government. They aim to promote technology that “actively seeks to promote human well-being and flourishing.” It’s a vital goal, one that pairs well with Plural’s mission to use technology to make democracy more transparent and participatory.
The team at CNTR recently published an overview of proposed AI legislation across all 50 states. It identified 610 bills on AI in general, and 114 bills that would regulate state governments’ use of AI. CNTR used Plural to find, track, and categorize these bills for analysis. The analysis identified areas where states may have gaps in AI policy, as well as opportunities to better “harmonize” a given AI procurement policy with federal guidelines. With so many states enacting new rules for AI all at the same time, avoiding unnecessarily conflicting rules through harmonization efforts could make those rules more clear and likely to be followed.