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David Evan Harris

@davidevanharris.com
1.4K followers 343 following 69 posts

Chancellor's Public Scholar @UCBerkeleyofficial.bsky.social Advisor/Fellow: @BrennanCenter.bsky.social, CA Initiative for Tech & Democracy, Int’l Computer Science Inst., Ctr. for Int’l Governance Innovation haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/harris-da…

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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 15/09/2026
@nytimes.com: "Mr. Harris said the challenges of A.I. are real: It could increase inequality and degrade public information and trust, fatally eroding democracy. But, he said, those challenges are not insurmountable..." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 29/05/2026
From the Daily Mail (!): “Maybe there’s broad agreement that being on the street is public,” [I] said. “But when you are on a train, is that public? Is the inside of a pub – literally short for public house – public?” #AI #Privacy #Surveillance
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Yoshua Bengio @yoshuabengio.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Today we’re releasing the International AI Safety Report 2026: the most comprehensive evidence-based assessment of AI capabilities, emerging risks, and safety measures to date. 🧵 (1/19)
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 17/10/2025
Hot off Tech Policy Press! While fed inaction leaves ppl—including children—exposed to deepfakes, data abuse & bias, California is stepping up, write Drew Liebert & David Evan Harris from the Calif. Initiative for Tech and Democracy (CITED). More work ahead... www.techpolicy.press/california-i...
techpolicy.press
California Is Getting its ‘AI Act’ Together | TechPolicy.Press
Drew Liebert and David Evan Harris share perspective from the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED), a project of California Common Cause.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 17/10/2025
WE DID IT!!! Gov. Newsom has signed the California AI Transparency Act of 2025 (AB 853) into law! This first-in-nation bill from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks requires online platforms to give users with a clear way to differentiate AI-generated & real content. @governor.ca.gov @buffywicks.bsky.social
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OFFICE O F THE GOVERNOR
OCT 1 3 2025
To the Members o f the California State Assembly:
1 am signing Assembly Bill 853, which strengthens the California Al Transparency
Act t o ensure that Californians can begin t o reliably assess whether digital
content is generated o r modified using artificial intelligence (Al).
The proliferation o f Al-generated content is having a profound effect o n all o f
us, particularly as the rapidly evolving technology becomes increasingly easy t o
access and distribute, and the content itself becomes more and more difficult
to distinguish from reality. This bill is a critical step in allowing us t o clearly
distinguish the real from the synthetic, and thereby enhance trust in the use o f A l
i n our everyday lives.
As with the regulation of any nascent technology, some stakeholders remain
concerned that provisions of the bill, while well-intentioned, present
implementation challenges that could lead t o unintended consequences,
including impairment of user privacy. I encourage the Legislature to enact
follow-up legislation in 2026, before the law takes effect, t o address these
technical feasibility issues without jeopardizing its intent t o enhance the safety
and security Ø f all Californians.
avin Newso
GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM • SACRAMENTO, C A 95814 • (916) 445-2841
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 15/10/2025
Congratulations to @yoshuabengio.bsky.social and team for appropriately moving to keep this critical report up to date at a brisk cadence!
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 22/07/2025
I testified on the California AI Transparency Act of 2025 with @buffywicks.bsky.social and @mouniribrahim.bsky.social in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill passed out of committee 11-0! Here's the video: youtu.be/vYQmG7QWSHk
youtu.be
California AI Transparency Act of 2025 - Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
YouTube video by David Evan Harris
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 23/06/2025
My latest piece is live!
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 02/05/2025
Good news for content authenticity and AI transparency from the California State Assembly! AB 853 passed 9-0 out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week! Here are some highlights from the hearings where I testified alongside Assemblymember Buffy Wicks! #AI #AIPolicy #AB853
youtu.be
Hearings on AB 853 (Wicks) in California State Assembly Judiciary and Privacy Committees
YouTube video by David Evan Harris
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 30/04/2025
“‘This Is What We Were Always Scared of’: DOGE Is Building a Surveillance State“ Brilliant and very disturbing article from @juliaangwin.com of the @nytimes.com with quotes from @bankston.bsky.social & @paulohm.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Elon Musk’s Legacy: DOGE’s Construction of a Surveillance State
DOGE is rapidly assembling a sprawling monitoring system, the foundation of many authoritarian regimes.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 17/04/2025
The problem of tariffs goes beyond stock market decline. They open the door to lobbying, favoritism, and graft.
brennancenter.org
A Second Gilded Age
Tariffs and favoritism are signs of a poisoned political era.
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Jon Keegan @jonkeegan.com · 15/04/2025
Noticed a bunch of these ornate gold medallions slapped all over the Oval Office. We found em on Alibaba. “High-density Home Decoration Polyurethane Appliques Ornament PU Foam Veneer Accessories” from seller Guangzhou Homemax Decorative Material Limited. sherwood.news/power/shop-t...
The Oval OfficeA screenshot from AlibabaA comparison of the photo from the Oval Office and an item on Alibaba.The Oval Office
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/04/2025
He still doesn't know who started the war. Or pretends not to know
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Center for Countering Digital Hate @counterhate.com · 07/03/2025
“Protecting individuals—especially minors—from exploitative algorithms, harmful content, and many of the other dangers stemming from the devices in our hands starts with speaking up.” Madi Parsons is bravely speaking up to curb the amplification of online harms. Read more👇 buff.ly/fPEtiCL
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 03/03/2025
Just released! "Generative AI, Democracy and Human Rights." Ever heard of the "freedom of thought"? Well now you have! This is a central topic of my latest work w/ Aaron Shull of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. #AI #FreedomOfThought #HumanRights www.cigionline.org/publications...
cigionline.org
Generative AI, Democracy and Human Rights
Disinformation is not new, but given how disinformation campaigns are constructed, there is almost no stage that will not be rendered more effective by the use of generative artificial intelligence.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 03/03/2025
Defending Trump’s power grab with the “unitary executive theory” is just a fancy way of claiming the president can rule the executive branch like a monarch. This argument has no basis in history or the Constitution.
brennancenter.org
The Extreme Legal Theory Behind Trump’s First Month in Office
The unitary executive theory upends our understanding of the Constitution.
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 25/02/2025
Oh.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
This morning at Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HQ in DC as mandatory return to office began, this video played on loop for ~5 mins on screens throughout the building, per agency source. Building staff couldn’t figure out how to turn it off so sent people to every floor to unplug TVs.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 21/02/2025
My reflections on the Paris AI Action Summit: www.linkedin.com/pulse/rememb... #AI #AIActionSummit
linkedin.com
Remember JD-Day // Mr. Harris Goes to Paris
Bearing Witness in Paris Sometimes we have to bear witness before we can take action. If you followed my posts about the Paris AI Action Summit last week, you probably know that I’m unhappy with the o...
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Jordi Calvet-Bademunt @jordicalbad.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
If you're interested in AI, don’t miss our #virtual session at #RightsCon 2025: "T&S in Gen AI: Agreeing on Principles for Freedom and Safety." I’m honored to moderate a discussion with thought leaders @davidevanharris.com, Sarah Shirazyan, and @sayash.bsky.social.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 19/02/2025
Thanks so much @alexreevegivens.bsky.social for your continued work on this and for calling attention to our report!
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 09/02/2025
Just leaked! Disappointing alleged draft declaration from Paris AI “Action” Summit is focused on everything but action. My thoughts here: www.linkedin.com/posts/davide... also, hello from Paris! #AIActionSummit
TRANSFORMER
Here's the full draft statement, dated 30/01/2025.
Al Action Summit
Co-chaired by France and India
10-11 February, 2025, Paris
Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet
1. Participants from XX countries, including government leaders, international organisations, representatives of civil society, the private sector, and the academic and research communities gathered in Paris on 10 and 11 February 2025 to hold the Al Action Summit. Rapid development of Al technologies represents a major paradigm shift, impacting our citizens, and societies in many ways. In line with the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, and the principles that countries must have ownership of their transition strategies, we have identified priorities and launched concrete actions to advance the public interest and to bridge digital divides through accelerating progress towards the SDGs. Our actions are grounded in three main principles of science, solutions - focusing on open Al models in compliance with countries frameworks - and policy standards, in line with international frameworks.
2. This Summit has highlighted the importance of reinforcing the diversity of the Al ecosystem. It has laid an open, multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach that will enable Al to be human rights based, human-centric, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy while also stressing the need and urgency to narrow the inequalities and assist developing countries in artificial intelligence capacity-building so they can build Al capacities.
3. Acknowledging existing multilateral initiatives on Al, including the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, the Global Digital Compact, the UNESCO Recommendation on Ethics of Al, the African Union Continental Al Strategy, and the works of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the council of Europe and European Union, the G7 including the Hiroshima Al Process and G20, we have affirmed the follo…To deliver on these priorities:
• Founding members have launched a major Public Interest AI Platform and Incubator, to support, amplify, decrease fragmentation between existing public and private initiatives on Public Interest Al and address digital divides. The Public interest Al Initiative will sustain and support digital public goods and technical assistance and capacity building projects in data, model development, openness and transparency, audit, compute, talent, financing and collaboration to support and co-create a trustworthy Al ecosystem advancing the public interest of all, for all and by all.
• We have discussed, at a Summit for the first time and in a multi-stakeholder format, issues related to Al and energy. This discussion has led to sharing knowledge to foster investments for sustainable Al systems (hardware, infrastructure, models), to promoting an international discussion on Al and environment, to welcoming an observatory on the energy impact of Al with the International Energy Agency, to showcasing energy-friendly Al innovation.
• We recognize the need to enhance our shared knowledge on the impacts of Al in the job market, though the creation of network of Observatories, to better anticipate Al implications for workplaces, training and education and to use Al to staThe country that stormed the Bastille can
than this!1
4. We recognize the need for inclusive multistak
he eater ence a mersakeholder aalogue nd cooperation
on Al governance. We underline the need for a global reflection integrating inter alia questions of safety, sustainable development, innovation, respect of international laws including humanitarian law and human rights law and the protection of human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, protection of consumers and of intellectual property rights. We take notes of efforts and discussions related to international fora where Al governance is examined. As outlined in the Global Digital Compact adopted by the UN General Assembly…
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IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 30/01/2025
Yep. Last year we published this opinion article from @davidevanharris.com who argues that open-source #AI is a bag of worms. spectrum.ieee.org/open-source-... #deepseek
spectrum.ieee.org
Open-Source AI Is Uniquely Dangerous
​But the regulations that could rein it in would benefit all of AI
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 27/01/2025
If the US wants to “win” the AI race, maybe we shouldn’t give away cutting edge models to the rest of the world, and instead treat them the way we treat other sensitive dual-use technologies, limiting access as done with nuclear, biomedical & chemical research. See www.cigionline.org/articles/not...
cigionline.org
Not Open and Shut: How to Regulate Unsecured AI
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Niall Stanage @niallstanage.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
🚨 The Department of Justice, in more normal times, provided updates on Jan. 6 cases — total number of charges, guilty pleas, convictions and so forth. Here’s what happens now. Literally an attempt to erase history.
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Samidh @samidh.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Will Meta's retreat from proactive/automated enforcement of its community standards lead to Instagram and Facebook becoming deeper cess pools? Well, it's complicated and the devil will be in the details. Let's look at the data and see what questions we should be asking... 🧵 1/12
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 07/01/2025
Excellent take on Meta's announcement today from one of the most qualified people on the planet to assess it. Glad to see you using your voice here @samidh.bsky.social!
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 06/12/2024
I sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the The Ethical Tech Digest, a publication from Stanford University community members in the Ethics, Technology + Public Policy for Practitioners class, which I took ~3 years ago. Enjoy! www.theethicaltechdigest.org/q-a-with-dav...
Q&A with David Evan Harris
David Evan Harris was named one of Business Insider’s top 100 people in AI in 2023. We sat down with Harris to discuss his views on equitable AI, the militarization of AI, election integrity, and fostering ethical tech ecosystems.

David Evan Harris was named one of Business Insider’s top 100 people in AI in 2023. Harris recently began serving as a Member of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Election Security Advisory Committee, convened by Arizona’s Secretary of State. As the Chancellor's Public Scholar at UC Berkeley and Continuing Lecturer at the Haas School of Business, he teaches courses on AI Ethics, Social Movements & Social Media, and Civic Technology. Harris has held positions in the U.S. government and founded the Global Lives Project in 2004, an initiative building a video library of daily life worldwide. We sat down with Harris to discuss his views on equitable AI, the militarization of AI, and fostering ethical tech ecosystems.

Sudeshna Mukherjee (SM): Your career spans academia, the private sector, and the nonprofit world. How do you leverage these experiences in your work on Artificial Intelligence (AI)??

David Evan Harris (DEH): Now that I'm doing more work in academia and the nonprofit sector, people value my firsthand experience of how decisions are made inside big tech companies. People in government have called upon me to share my views because they lack access to people with inside experience in tech companies who aren't currently employed there. In the past year, I’ve testified almost a dozen times before legislative bodies—in San Francisco, Sacramento, and most recently, the US Senate.

Right now, my big focus is trying to get AI legislation passed. We had two big wins recently with AB 2839 and AB 2655—two bills banning election-related deepfakes—in California just getting signed by the governor. This was the result of the work of the team at the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED).

SM: W…
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 06/12/2024
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Alicia Bannon @aliciabannon.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Disappointing - but not surprising - to read this @nytimes.com report detailing several justices' opposition to an enforceable ethics code. Gorsuch & others express concern re: weakening the Court, but miss the basic point that public trust needs to be earned. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/03/u...
nytimes.com
Inside the Supreme Court Justices’ Ethics Debate
In private meetings and memos, the justices made new rules for themselves — then split on whether they could, or should, be enforced.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 26/11/2024
Is Creativity Dead? Great opinion video from @kirbyferguson.bsky.social in the @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Are Algorithms Killing Creativity?
Or is the algorithm just hiding it from you?
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 20/11/2024
Yesterday I accidentally tagged @salesforce.bsky.social thinking it was an official account. It’s not. It directs people to @asksalesforce.bsky.social which is also an impersonating account. I reported both of these accounts. @safety.bsky.app do you have a verification/deletion process for this?
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 20/11/2024
At the opening reception for the inaugural meeting of the Network of International AI Safety Institutes, hosted by @carnegieendow.bsky.social & @salesforce.bsky.social . Great welcome talks from US AISI head, Elizabeth Kelly; French Digital Minister, Clara Chappaz; Tino Cuellar & Ian Klaus, Carnegie
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 19/11/2024
IMHO, the European AI Office is the most important AI governance body on the planet. This is why I’m thrilled to share that I am now officially a member of the Working Group to create the first General-Purpose AI Code of Practice. More here: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... #AI #AIPolicy #EUAIAct
I visited the AI Office on a visit last month to Brussels, where I met with numerous AI Office staff, including Alex Moltzau of LinkedIn AI fame, who is now seconded from NORA – The Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Research Consortium. Fun fact for non-Europeans, you may not know that Norway is not in the EU, but their gov'ts collaborate closely, with Alex as living proof.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 17/11/2024
#photography (taken of a cool science exhibit at the @exploratorium.bsky.social)
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 17/11/2024
Has anyone done an analysis of/have any theories about what kind of conversations are happening on @bsky.app vs #LinkedIn vs #Threads vs #X vs #Facebook vs #Instagram? Since the fall of #Twitter, I’ve mostly hung out on LinkedIn because ppl are generally cordial and post good articles/papers…
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 16/11/2024
Is this place going to become fun like pre-Elon Twitter? I tried using it about a year ago for a while and it felt too lonely to come back to…
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 18/12/2023
Very excited to see where this goes…
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 15/12/2023
Excited to share that I'm featured in "Game Changer: AI & You," a new documentary hosted by Anne-Marie Tomchak (RTÉ, previously BBC, Mashable and Vogue). Hasn't been released globally yet, but producers generously gave permission to share an excerpt w/ my interview. Enjoy! youtu.be/I2uOccpIcgw?...
youtu.be
Game Changer: AI & You, ft. David Evan Harris, hosted by Anne-Marie Tomchak. [excerpt]
I'm featured in "Game Changer: AI & You," a new documentary hosted by Anne-Marie Tomchak (RTE, previously of BBC, Mashable, Vogue). It hasn't been released g...
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 13/12/2023
New piece in the Guardian today about the EU AI Act. Comments section is getting heated! Enjoy! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Thought y'all might enjoy this: @mmasnick.bsky.social @zittrain.bsky.social @chrismessina.me @mchrisriley.com @sayhar.bsky.social @davidkaye.bsky.social
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 09/12/2023
#hashtags #please #hashtagsplease #pleaseblueskyhashtags #nohashtags #whynohashtags #desperateforhashtags #beggingforhashtags #needhashtagsnow #nohashtagsnodiscoverability #hashtagsessential #istheproblembskyorATprotocol? #thankyoudevs! @bsky.app @atproto.com
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 09/12/2023
It's hard to understand the #EUAIAct when there's no Act to read. Could be weeks+ before text is finalized. So I put all my resources here. Edit suggests welcome. Thx to @thierrybreton.bsky.social for the late nights and @euractiv.com for covering! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 06/12/2023
Based on a comprehensive policy brief from the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley say additional policies are needed to better manage the risks of GPAIS and foundation models. They outline them in Tech Policy Press:
techpolicy.press
Can We Manage the Risks of General-Purpose AI Systems? | TechPolicy.Press
Additional policies are needed to better manage the risks of GPAIS and foundation models. Here are a few.
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Downtown Vienna @downtownvienna.bsky.social · 01/12/2023
Public Statement on the EU AI Act t.co/OlgO1NXYYB
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 07/12/2023
Feeling cautiously optimistic… Foundation models said to be included in the #EUAIAct, according to Bloomberg! www.bloomberg.com/news/article... cc: @thierrybreton.bsky.social #AI
bloomberg.com
EU Nears Deal to Regulate ChatGPT, Other AI Tech in Landmark Act
The European Union is nearing a deal on what is poised to become the most comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence in the western world.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 04/12/2023
Thank you so much Kevin! Really appreciate your calling attention to this!!
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 04/12/2023
Some propose to exempt #opensource #AI from regulation. I strongly disagree. The threats that unsecured AI systems bring are actually much more severe than those from secured systems. My latest policy brief on Tech Policy Press: www.techpolicy.press/how-to-regul... cc: @justinhendrix.bsky.social
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 09/11/2023
"Biden’s Exec Order on AI: Bravo, Now Back to Work" - my analysis is live!
cigionline.org
Biden’s Executive Order on AI: Bravo, Now Back to Work
This order effectively buys time for policy makers to get AI legislation on the books. As such, it marks an important step forward.
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 06/11/2023
Did you attempt last week to actually read the The White House's AI Executive Order? Well, my students and I did, and it was tough, in part just due to formatting. So here's our gift to you! The AI Exec Order: Human-Readable Edition. #AI #WhiteHouse docs.google.com/document/d/1...
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David Evan Harris @davidevanharris.com · 24/10/2023
Mr. Harris Goes to Brussels — Adventures in AI Policy Part II I went to Brussels to talk AI policy with the European Commission, as they're *hopefully* in the final stretch on the #EUAIAct. Here's what I learned:
linkedin.com
Mr. Harris goes to Brussels (Adventures in AI Policy Part II)
If you missed my previous “Mr. Harris Goes to Washington” post in this series, see link in comments or scroll back to Sep 27 on my timeline.
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