This white paper assesses federal efforts to advance leadership on AI innovation and governance through recent executive actions and emphasizes the need for senior-level leadership to achieve a whole-of-government approach.

Artificial intelligence will be the most consequential technology of the 21st century—augmenting human capabilities, transforming industries and economies, and reshaping societies. Stanford HAI was established to advance AI technology and applications, and to provide leadership in understanding and influencing its impact on the world. It will conduct high-impact research; convene stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and civil society to address critical technical and societal challenges; and educate leaders across all sectors.

Three fundamental beliefs guide HAI: AI technology should be inspired by human intelligence; the development of AI must be guided by its human impact; and applications of AI should enhance and augment humans, not replace them. HAI will permeate and access the entire university, bringing Stanford’s vast array of disciplines and capabilities to bear in an interdisciplinary manner across the basic sciences, engineering, psychology, medicine, business, law, education, and the social sciences.

Fei Fei Li, Co-Director of Stanford HAI, stresses the importance of governance for AI technologies. 

Stanford HAI aggrees with and supports the U.S. AI Safety Institute’s (US AISI) draft guidelines for improving the safety, security, and trustworthiness of dual-use foundation models.

HAI Policy Fellow Riana Pfefferkorn speaks about a new law in effect, criminalizing the creation, distribution, and possession of AI-generated child sexual abuse material.