
In the latest installment of the Salzburg Questions for Law and Technology, director of the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center, David Bray, suggests five new pilot schemes to help move societies forward
David Bray at Salzburg Global Seminar
This article is part of the series, the Salzburg Questions for Law and Technology by the Salzburg Global Law and Technology Forum
Artificial intelligence (AI), combined with the internet of everything and advances in the distribution of storage, processing, and services – including interoperability across software as a service and platforms as a service cloud solutions and improved peer-to-peer, distributed services – collectively hold the possibility of truly enabling societies to be more community-centered in how they operate. Yet for all these things to happen, societies first need to launch projects to demonstrate learning by incorporating advances in new technologies and data capabilities, so they do not become a surveillance state or encourage surveillance capitalism.
Societies must find new ways of involving the public in efforts that employ new technologies and data to do the business of governing, what previously was referred to as governments and may now no longer be done solely by a government – alongside private sector companies and non-profits. Such new efforts include involving new technologies and data capabilities to govern in a distributed and shared way that is open, visible, and participatory for all who want to be involved. Such new efforts would also demonstrate approaches to ensure individuals have choices, human dignity, and that any data is used for civic activities only with their explicit permission.
As we look ahead to 2021, I would like to suggest five concrete pilots we can do to help move the societies forward by piloting new, participatory approaches to data and AI:
Looking toward the future, the only way for societies to navigate through the turbulence of 2020 and beyond is by mobilizing both private sector and public sector leaders to pilot and prototype more participatory approaches to data and AI.
We must create opportunities for all parts of societies – including the public, government, and private sector. To work together consists of a willingness to learn by doing, adapting, and leading, which is essential to working towards greater public participation in data and AI efforts for the future. We need to encourage leaders from all sectors and all nations to advance such efforts to benefit people, prosperity, and peace.
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David Bray is the director of the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center. He previously served as executive director for the People-Centered Internet co-founded by Vint Cerf, focused on providing support and expertise for community-focused projects that measurably improve people's lives using the internet. He also served as IT chief for the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading the program's technology response to during 9/11, anthrax in 2001, Severe Acute Respiratory System in 2003, and other international public health emergencies. He also provides strategy to both boards and start-ups espousing human-centric principles to technology-enabled decision making in complex environments. Business Insider named him one of the top "24 Americans Who Are Changing the World" under 40 and he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for 2016-2021. He was also named a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Human-Machine Cognition in 2018. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and biology and a master's degree in health informatics from Emory University, a Ph.D. from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and two post-doctoral associateships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. He is a Salzburg Global Fellow.
The Salzburg Questions for Law and Technology is an online discussion series introduced and led by Fellows of the Salzburg Global Law and Technology Forum. The articles and comments represent opinions of the authors and commenters and do not necessarily represent the views of their corporations or institutions, nor of Salzburg Global Seminar. Readers are welcome to address any questions about this series to Forum Director, Charles E. Ehrlich: cehrlich@salzburgglobal.org