TIME: 9:00 am EST
DATE: June 24, 2024
As federal and state policymakers grapple with how to regulate emerging AI technology, there is an urgent need to address the implications of policy proposals on free speech and open discourse. Policymakers around the world have focused on the potential dangers of AI, often assuming that regulation is necessary.
In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden announced that he wanted to “[h]arness the promise of A.I. and protect us from its peril,” including proposals to “[b]an A.I. voice impersonation and more.” Meanwhile, the E.U. recently adopted sweeping regulations that could significantly impact AI companies’ content and moderation policies in the U.S.
What threats does AI pose to our information environment? What steps can and should policymakers take to address those threats without unduly burdening online free speech?
A symposium organized by The Future of Free Speech and the Center for Democracy and Technology will bring together leading voices from civil society, U.S. institutions, and the private sector. Panels will focus on proposed AI regulations, as well as EU policies like the AI and the Digital Services Acts, in the context of the First Amendment and other free speech protections. The participants will discuss how freedom of expression principles both in the U.S. and abroad, should apply to generative AI and explore ways to create a resilient free-speech culture.