| Policymaking for Artificial Intelligence and other Disruptive Technologies

Background

The industrial revolution 4.0 has led to a proliferation of disruptive technologies like big data, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence (AI). They are being used in various sectors, such as agriculture, manufacturing, service, education, defence, transportation, and healthcare. While their benefits include economising time and costs of operation; there are social, ethical, and legal risks in their operations. These risks lead to challenges that need to be addressed by governments through informed policymaking. With the advent of these technologies the process of policymaking and administration will also undergo change.

This module explores policymaking for disruptive technologies, with a focus on AI, from an interdisciplinary lens. It will provide perspectives on the benefits and risks of these new and emerging technologies to understand their implications for policymaking. What are the policy issues surrounding these technologies? How should they be governed? How are governments planning to use these technologies in different sectors and to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs)?

This course does not require any prior knowledge except for a general awareness of new developments in the technology space. Foundational knowledge of public policy theories and processes will be an added advantage.

Pedagogy

The course readings comprise of academic papers, chapters from books, and reports from multilateral organisations and associations for the sessions. The sessions would be seminar style, where the instructor would take a lecture interspersed with discussions. Students are expected to actively participate in class by putting forth questions to utilise the sessions.

The module is structured to impart key policy concepts for the governance of AI and other disruptive technologies. The first half of the module will cover stages of the policy cycle, exemplifying issues surrounding different disruptive technologies for each relevant stage. The first few sessions in Week 1 will be devoted to appropriate stages of the policy cycle by discussing the impact and effects of disruptive technologies. One session during week one will be devoted to a discussion on how to write policy briefs. The second half of the course will discuss perspectives from the discipline of public administration, policy concepts about actors and networks, governing strategies, and regulation of these technologies. In addition to this, there will be sessions on the use of disruptive technologies during COVID-19 and in specific sectors like transportation, healthcare, and education and their role in achieving the SDGs. Sessions in week two will be devoted to these topics. The aim of the module is to provide the students an exposure to public policy theories in the backdrop of new and emerging technologies.
Apart from the listed readings, the instructor will share the latest developments relevant to the sessions for discussion in class.