Week 4: Policy & Governance

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Focus: Regulation and policy approaches

📚 Required Readings

“Global AI Governance Approaches” (30 min)
- EU AI Act overview
- US regulatory landscape
- Approaches from China, Canada, and other regions
- Key principles: transparency, accountability, human control
“Regulating AI: The Challenge of Speed and Change” (25 min)
- Why traditional regulation struggles with AI
- Policy options: principles-based vs. rules-based regulation
- Role of self-regulation, industry standards, and technical safety

Choose one recent AI policy or regulation (EU AI Act, Biden Executive Order, etc.)
Prepare a 2-minute summary: What does it do? What problems does it aim to solve?
Consider: Is this approach effective? What are its limitations?

See Week 4 Assignment for this week’s task.

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Focus: Possible futures, values, and comprehensive regulation

“The Future of AI: Scenarios and Possibilities” (30 min)
- Optimistic scenarios: abundance, solutions to major challenges
- Pessimistic scenarios: misalignment, power concentration
- Most likely path: continued uncertainty and mixed outcomes
- Role of decisions we make today
“Comprehensive AI Governance Frameworks” (30 min)
- Integration of technical, policy, and ethical approaches
- Role of stakeholders: governments, industry, civil society, academia
- International cooperation challenges
- Building values into AI systems from the start

Envision your preferred future with AI (5-10 years from now): What works well? What problems have been solved or prevented?
Write down 2-3 actions or policies that would help achieve that future
Reflect on obstacles and resistance that might prevent that future

See Week 11 Assignment for this week’s task.