As California considers policies and regulations around artificial intelligence, the conversation should center on its effects on people, experts and policymakers agree.
The state has gotten started: It released guidelines for state use of AI earlier this year. Amy Tong, secretary of the state’s Government Operations Agency, was tasked with assessing the effect of generative AI on vulnerable communities; its effect on workforce development for existing and future workforces; and recommending state procurement guidelines.
“(Talking about AI) shouldn’t be tech-driven,” Tong, who’s the former director of the state’s Technology Department, said on a panel at the CalMatters Ideas Festival in Sacramento on Wednesday, which was moderated by CalMatters reporter Khari Johnson. “People should be at the center of it. What is the impact on individuals?”