What to Do When a Robot Is the Guilty Party

Should the government regulate artificial intelligence? That was the central question of the first White House workshop on the legal and governance implications of AI, held in Seattle on Tuesday. "We are observing issues around AI and machine learning popping up all over the government," said Ed Felten, White House deputy chief technology officer. "We are nowhere near the point of broadly regulating AI … but the challenge is how to ensure AI remains safe, controllable, and predictable as it gets smarter." One of the key aims of the workshop, said one of its organizers, University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo, was to help the public understand where the technology is now and where it's headed.