Blog

Delve into insightful blog posts from CSET experts exploring the nexus of technology and policy. Navigate through in-depth analyses, expert op-eds, and thought-provoking discussions on inclusion and diversity within the realm of technology.

The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act has officially come into force today after more than five years of legislative processes and negotiations. While marking a significant milestone, it also initiates a prolonged phase of implementation, refinement, and enforcement. This blog post outlines key aspects of the regulation, such as rules for general-purpose AI and governance structures, and provides insights into its timeline and future expectations.

Assessment


Peer Watch


Filter entries

The Global Distribution of STEM Graduates: Which Countries Lead the Way?

Brendan Oliss, Cole McFaul, and Jaret C. Riddick
| November 27, 2023

Discover how the global landscape of STEM graduates is shifting, potentially reshaping the future of innovation and education worldwide. This blog post analyzes recent education data from the countries with the most graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. For each of the top eleven countries by number of STEM graduates, we present the total number of STEM graduates as well as STEM graduates as a percentage of total graduates in 2020.

The Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI: Decoding Biden’s AI Policy Roadmap

Ronnie Kinoshita, Luke Koslosky, and Tessa Baker
| May 3, 2024

On October 30, 2023, the Biden administration released its long-awaited Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. CSET has broken down the EO, focusing on specific government deliverables. Our EO Provision and Timeline tracker lists which agencies are responsible for actioning EO provisions and their deadlines.

On September 19, 2023, one of us had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight, chaired by Senator Maggie Hassan. Members of the subcommittee asked for an actionable plan for the U.S. government (USG) to address concerns about emerging technologies, like AI, synthetic biology and genetic engineering, and quantum technologies. This blog post endeavors to summarize near term policy recommendations based on CSET research as well as our best guesses about what is needed to address emerging concerns about these technologies.

This blog post by CSET’s Executive Director Dewey Murdick explores two different metaphorical lenses for governing the frontier of AI. The "Space Exploration Approach" likens AI models to spacecrafts venturing into unexplored territories, requiring detailed planning and regular updates. The "Snake-Filled Garden Approach" views AI as a garden with both harmless and dangerous 'snakes,' necessitating rigorous testing and risk assessment. In the post, Dewey examines these metaphors and the different ways they can inform approaches to AI governance strategy that balances innovation with safety, all while emphasizing the importance of ongoing learning and adaptability.

A Guide to the Proposed Outbound Investment Regulations

Ngor Luong and Emily S. Weinstein
| October 6, 2023

The August 9 Executive Order aims to restrict certain U.S. investments in key technology areas. In a previous post, we proposed an end-user approach to crafting an AI investment prohibition. In this follow-on post, we rely on existing and hypothetical transactions to test scenarios where U.S. investments in China’s AI ecosystem would or would not be covered under the proposed program, and highlight outstanding challenges.

The EU AI Act: A Primer

Mia Hoffmann
| September 26, 2023

The EU AI Act is nearing formal adoption and implementation. Read this blog post, with updated analysis following the December 2023 political agreement, by CSET’s resident EU expert and Research Fellow, Mia Hoffmann. Learn what we know about the Act and what it means for AI regulation in the EU (and the world).

On September 8, 2023, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) released their Bipartisan Framework on AI Legislation. The framework includes many ideas and recommendations that CSET research has highlighted over the past four years. This blog post highlights some of the most relevant reports and CSET’s perspective on the framework’s elements.

Replicator: A Bold New Path for DoD

Michael O’Connor
| September 18, 2023

The Replicator effort by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is intended to overcome some of the military challenges posed by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This blog post intends to both identify tradeoffs for the Department to consider as it charts the path for Replicator, and to provide a sense for the state of industry readiness to support.

Universities can build more inclusive computer science programs by addressing the reasons that students may be deterred from pursuing the field. This blog post explores some of those reasons, features of CS education that cause them, and provides recommendations on how to design learning experiences that are safer and more exploratory for everyone.

The much-anticipated National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) provides a comprehensive set of strategic objectives for training and producing more cyber talent by prioritizing and encouraging the development of more localized cyber ecosystems that serve the needs of a variety of communities rather than trying to prescribe a blanket policy. This is a much-needed and reinvigorated approach that understands the unavoidable inequities in both cyber education and workforce development, but provides strategies for mitigating them. In this blog post, we highlight key elements that could be easily overlooked.