As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, the push for regulation is growing alongside the need to stay globally competitive. In a country as complex as the United States, balancing oversight with innovation raises a fundamental question: who should govern AI?
In this episode of You Might Be Right, former Tennessee Governors Phil Bredesen and Bill Haslam explore that question with Kristian Stout and Bruce Schneier.
Stout, director of innovation policy at the International Center for Law and Economics, emphasizes that policymakers must first understand AI to avoid both underregulation and overregulation. He points to trust in market forces and makes the case for a more restrained, humble approach from the federal government.
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In his view, AI regulation does not fall neatly along traditional partisan lines, creating space for a bipartisan solution.
Schneier, a security technologist and lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, offers a different perspective. He advocates for regulation at multiple levels of government, citing successful models in Europe, California, and Massachusetts. While some warn that fragmented regulation could hamper America’s competitiveness in technology, Schneier contends that well-designed regulation spurs innovation.
Bredesen and Haslam share how they would approach AI governance if they were in office today, concluding that the answer is not clear-cut. Governor Bredesen poses a crucial question: how much do we want human life to be handled by technological algorithms?
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