Session 100: AI Literacy and Public Sector AI are a Match

This week Libraries in Response will be live from Brussels at the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection Conference, May 22-24, 2024
"Ever more systems of artificial intelligence - with apparent inescapability - are being established in ever more parts of our lives, cultures, and societies. CPDP2024 puts accelerating complexity of AI at the centre stage, with the underlying question: Is AI governable?" - CPDP-ai 2024
Most privacy protection regimes depend on system controls and regulatory restraints. Necessary but inadequate if users are ill-prepared. Careless or clueless users can undermine the security of any system. Training and education are essential to protect data privacy and system security.
Will society accept only private enterprise based AI? Can there be a public AI infrastructure analogous to public roads, parks and libraries? Sounds like it might be desirable to have a public option. But also sounds challenging and complex.
Join us to explore this approach on Thursday!
Speakers
Nathan Sanders, Affiliate, Berkman Klein Center - Harvard University, Project Director - ComSciCon
Stephen Wyber, Public Policy Director, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
How public AI can strengthen democracy - "Just three Big Tech firms control two-thirds of the global market for cloud computing resources used to develop AI models. This centralization results in AI systems designed to serve corporate interests." - Brookings Institute March 4, 2024
If "public AI" becomes reality, government responsibility for trained and educated users increases even further. Public sector services come with an obligation to make extra effort to assure equitable affordable access.
Nathan and Stephen will help us examine the need for AI literacy and how that fits into existing libraries training structure and could also engaget public policy to shape public AI.
"Publicly developed and owned AI models and computing infrastructure could democratize the technology itself, creating an open platform for innovation and offering guarantees about the availability, equitability, and sustainability of AI technology."
- Nathan Sanders