As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms numerous aspects of society, federal policymakers face the complex challenge of determining if and how to regulate this technology.
On July 19, the Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute and Johns Hopkins Engineering’s Lifelong Learning, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Office of Federal Strategy, hosted an information session on AI for congressional staffers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. The event aimed to provide staffers with a comprehensive understanding of AI’s underlying technology and its diverse applications, as well as its potential risks and rewards.
The session featured presentations from Johns Hopkins AI experts who shared their insights into AI’s applications across diverse sectors, including national security and health care. The event brought together individuals from both major political parties and both houses of Congress.
“Whenever people tell me they’re afraid of AI, I always tell them to think of AI like a computer program,” said speaker Mark Dredze, John C. Malone Professor of Computer Science and interim deputy director at the Johns Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute. “The idea that AI is something that we can’t control—that’s just not true. These are computer programs and technologies that we build, and we decide where and when we use them.”