Congressional Bootcamp 2023 Agenda: Day 2

Stanford HAI staff will lead a discussion debriefing the key concepts that staffers learned in earlier sessions. They will also offer a preview of Day 2 and leave ample time for questions.

The risks and threats stemming from global climate change are becoming a growing issue for policymakers. At the same time, the rapid advancements of AI have presented possible opportunities to use this technology to help tackle our greatest climate challenges, from achieving net-zero emissions to preparing for extreme weather events. Conversely, AI continues to increasingly rely on compute power, which is an energy-intensive resource and contributes to the emission of CO2. As a result, there is mounting concern around AI’s environmental impact, drawing attention to the cost-benefit analysis of AI advancements. This session will unpack how AI can be used to help confront climate change while also better understanding AI’s own ripple effects in the environment.

AI has the potential to dramatically improve education. From teacher support to personalized student engagement, AI could democratize extraordinary teaching and learning. But dangers and concerns loom. Collecting data from children raises privacy concerns, and current inequities in the education system might be exacerbated by the introduction of AI. This session will look into how AI can be leveraged to improve the education system without causing harm to teachers and students.

Some of the most exciting advances of this technological wave are focused on healthcare: faster and better diagnoses, enhanced therapies, increased hospital standards which reduce patient harms, and protein folding which has the potential to cure debilitating diseases. Healthcare is on the cusp of a revolution that will advance human well-being. At the same time, the United States faces an incredible shortage of qualified healthcare workers, lacks proper evaluation of medical devices, and struggles with unclear liability risk/clinician responsibility. These mounting challenges raise the question, can AI help “save” the U.S. healthcare system? This session will highlight the coming changes in healthcare, the opportunities and risks AI presents, and how policies can ensure safe and robust health systems.

This is a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency are staggering. As such, we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. Yet, it is possible to find contentment and connectedness by keeping dopamine in check. This session will provide a practical, science-informed approach to addressing compulsive overconsumption of everything from food, to sex, to video games.

The U.S. government is in great need of a technological upgrade. From streamlining administrative processes to providing personalized services to constituents, there is ample opportunity for AI to help government agencies achieve their missions. However, integrating AI into the government is not as easy as obtaining and deploying the technology. Talent, infrastructure, public trust, and morale play equally important roles in ensuring the successful modernization of government. This session will dive into current use-cases of AI in government, the challenges and successes of these cases, and how to improve the integration of new technologies that will help the government serve its citizens.

AI and automation will have a rippling effect on today’s workforce and the future of work. Mainstream narratives forecast AI will displace workers and funnel profits up to a select few. Alternatively, AI has the potential to augment and supercharge labor, ensuring the benefits of AI are spread and enjoyed widely. This session dives into deeper detail regarding what exactly we should expect as AI and automation integrate into the economy and the subsequent consequences for the workforce. Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson will also discuss how policies can reshape and guide what the future holds.