Policy work
We aim to improve AI governance over civilian applications, autonomous weapons and in nuclear launch.
Introduction
Shaping the long-term through near-term research and advocacy
The policy team at FLI works to reduce extreme, large-scale risks from transformative technologies by improving national and international governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
FLI has spearheaded numerous efforts to this end. Most notably, in 2017 we created the influential Asilomar AI principles, a set of governance principles signed by thousands of leading minds in AI research and industry. More recently, the UN Secretary General consulted FLI as the civil society ‘co-champion’ for AI recommendations on the Digital Cooperation Roadmap.
In the civilian domain, we advise the European Union on how to strengthen and future-proof their upcoming EU AI Act; and in the U.S., we focus on increasing federal spending on AI safety research and strengthening the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. In the military domain, we advocate for a treaty on autonomous weapons at the United Nations and inform policymakers about the risks of incorporating AI systems into nuclear launch.
FLI has spearheaded numerous efforts to this end. Most notably, in 2017 we created the influential Asilomar AI principles, a set of governance principles signed by thousands of leading minds in AI research and industry. More recently, the UN Secretary General consulted FLI as the civil society ‘co-champion’ for AI recommendations on the Digital Cooperation Roadmap.
In the civilian domain, we advise the European Union on how to strengthen and future-proof their upcoming EU AI Act; and in the U.S., we focus on increasing federal spending on AI safety research and strengthening the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. In the military domain, we advocate for a treaty on autonomous weapons at the United Nations and inform policymakers about the risks of incorporating AI systems into nuclear launch.
Our work
Policy projects
Educating about Lethal Autonomous Weapons
Military AI applications are rapidly expanding. We develop educational materials about how certain narrow classes of AI-powered weapons can harm national security and destabilize civilization, notably weapons where kill decisions are fully delegated to algorithms.
Strengthening the European AI Act
Our key recommendations include broadening the Act’s scope to regulate general purpose systems and extending the definition of prohibited manipulation to include any type of manipulatory technique, and manipulation that causes societal harm.
Strengthening the NIST AI Risk Management Framework
Our feedback on the first draft of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI risk management framework addressed extreme and unacceptable risks, loyalty of AI systems and the risk management of general purpose systems.
Mitigating the Risks of AI Integration in Nuclear Launch
Avoiding nuclear war is in the national security interest of all nations. We pursue a range of initiatives to reduce this risk. Our current focus is on mitigating the emerging risk of AI integration into nuclear command, control and communication.
Geographical Focus
Where you can find us
We are a hybrid organisation. Most of our policy work takes place in the US (D.C. and California), the EU (Brussels) and at the UN (New York and Geneva).
United States
In the US, FLI works to increase federal spending on AI safety research and to strengthen the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
European Union
In Europe, our focus is on strengthening the EU AI Act and encouraging European states to support a treaty on autonomous weapons.
United Nations
At the UN, FLI works to promote the adoption of a legally-binding instrument on autonomous weapons.
Key partners
Achievements
Some of the things we have achieved
Developed the AI Asilomar Principles
In 2017, FLI coordinated the development of the Asilomar AI Principles, one of the earliest and most influential sets of AI governance principles.
View the principles
AI recommendation in the UN digital cooperation roadmap
Our recommendations (3C) on the global governance of AI technologies were adopted in the UN Secretary-General's digital cooperation roadmap.
View the roadmap
Max Tegmark's testimony to the EU parliament
Our founder and board member Max Tegmark presented a testimony on the regulation of general-purpose AI systems in the EU parliament.
Watch the testimony
Our content
Featured posts
Here is a selection of posts relating to our policy work:
Characterizing AI Policy using Natural Language Processing
As interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) grows across the globe, governments have focused their attention on identifying the soft and […]
December 16, 2022
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