University of Washington will host first-ever White House workshop on artificial intelligence

Between the University of Washington, a thriving tech community, and strong research institutions, like the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2), many of the rapid developments in AI are playing out in Seattle. Perhaps that's why the White House has selected the Emerald City for its first public workshop on artificial intelligence. The Office of Science and Technology Policy will co-host the first of four events on artificial intelligence at the University of Washington May 24. The workshop, put on by the UW's Tech Policy Lab and School of Law, will explore issues such as policy, logistical applications, and safety, as they relate to AI. Speakers include AI2 CEO and UW Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Oren Etzioni, White House Deputy U.S. CTO Edward Felten, Microsoft Principal Researcher Kate Crawford, and other industry experts. The workshops are intended "to spur public dialogue on artificial intelligence and machine learning and identify challenges and opportunities related to this emerging technology," writes Felton in a White House blog post.