JMI Releases Policy Brief Outlining a New Framework For AI Regulations

JMI Releases Policy Brief Outlining a New Framework For AI Regulations

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, The James Madison Institute releases a new policy brief, “America’s Forgotten Secret to Innovation: Try It,” providing a renewed vision for approaching artificial intelligence (AI) regulation based on historical patterns.

America has never been bashful about adopting new technologies or innovations. The historical response has reflected a three-part framework: deployment first, measurement second, and governance last. However, today, the fear of AI is derailing this tried-and-true strategy.

This brief outlines how America has approached prior opportunities to embrace innovation, while elaborating on how to apply this three-pronged approach to current and future developments. When America relies on this sequential pattern for adopting new innovations, it proves more reliable than hasty, preemptive action.

“Technology expands our ability to explore, connect, and build. Americans have harnessed technology to do just that — using steamboats to create new trade routes and laying railroad tracks to connect communities,” said Kevin Frazier, an AI Innovation and Law Fellow at the University of Texas Austin and author of the policy brief. “An iterative, evidence-based approach to regulating these technological advances has ensured that as many Americans as possible can put them to productive use. For AI to live up to its potential, it must remain the case that our legal frameworks preserve access, prioritize agency, and safeguard autonomy.” 

“Every general-purpose technology in American history has followed the same pattern: We build first, we learn from what goes wrong, and then we regulate based on evidence. When states and the federal government skip straight to broad, static rules, they aren’t protecting people — they are locking in guesses before we know what the risks are and locking out the innovators and entrepreneurs who have driven 250 years of technological progress,” explained Dr. Edward Longe, Director of National Strategy and Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at The James Madison Institute.

Read, “America’s Forgotten Secret to Innovation: Try It,” here.

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The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as education, technology, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.