Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent veto of California’s Senate Bill (SB) 1047, known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, reignited the debate about how best to regulate the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. Newsom’s veto illustrates a cautious approach to regulating a new technology and could pave the way for more pragmatic AI safety policies.
An emerging body of research suggests that large language models (LLMs) can “deceive” humans by offering fabricated explanations for their behavior or concealing the truth of their actions from human users. The implications are worrisome, particularly because researchers do not fully understand why or when LLMs engage in this behavior.
I was excited to contribute to a group of over 20 prominent AI researchers, legal experts, and tech industry leaders from institutions including OpenAI, the Partnership on AI, Microsoft, the University of Oxford, a16z crypto, and MIT on a paper proposing "personhood credentials" (PHCs) as a potential solution to the growing challenge of AI-powered online deception. PHCs would provide a privacy-preserving way for individuals to verify their humanity online without disclosing personal information. While implementation details remain to be determined, the core concept warrants serious consideration from policymakers and tech leaders as AI capabilities rapidly advance, threatening to erode the trust and accountability essential for societies to function.
The increasing capabilities of AI have sparked an important debate: Should the "weights" that define a model's intelligence be openly accessible or tightly controlled? This article dives deep into the arguments on both sides. Proponents say open-weight models accelerate innovation, enable greater scrutiny for safety, and democratize AI capabilities. Critics warn of risks like misuse for disinformation or military purposes by adversaries. The piece examines recent developments like frontier open-weight models from Meta and Mistral, Mark Zuckerberg's case for openness, concerns about China's AI ambitions, and the US government's cautious approach.
The recent AI policy roadmap from the bipartisan AI working group in Congress strikes a thoughtful balance between promoting AI innovation and addressing potential risks. It lays out a nuanced approach including increased AI safety efforts, crucial investments in domestic STEM talent, protections for children in the age of AI, and "grand challenge" programs to spur breakthroughs - all while avoiding hasty overregulation that could stifle progress
There is an incredible amount of excitement and confusion around what this wave of generative AI means for education. These technologies are rapidly improving, and developers are introducing capabilities that would have been considered science fiction just a few years ago. In my latest Education Next piece, I provide an overview of generative AI and explore how this technology will influence how students learn, how teachers work, and ultimately how we structure our education system.
The Biden administration recently secured voluntary commitments from major AI companies to manage risks associated with AI, including ensuring products are safe and transparent about capabilities and limitations. While a step in the right direction, the vague pledges largely reaffirm existing activities and oversight mechanisms are unclear. This embodies the precautionary principle which can hamper innovation if taken too far through accumulating requirements. There should be a balance between risk mitigation and advancing AI to realize its benefits. The commitments are also oriented toward avoiding harms rather than proactively leveraging AI's potential to address pressing societal challenges like climate change and learning loss. A more ambitious, benefit-focused approach is needed alongside reasonable precautions.
Honored to be included in the Washingtonian Magazine's list of Most Influential People along with so many inspiring leaders. Wonderful to see many friends and colleagues on this list.
A summary of the education provisions of the American Rescue Plan prepared for a session at the NSVF Summit 2021.
An essay I wrote for EducationNext describing how we can approach safely reopen schools. I cover what the most recent scientific studies tell us about risks for children as well as if they are super spreaders of COVID-19. Other issues include how to address SEL, academic learning loss, and improving distance learning to provide a better experience for both teachers and students next year.
An analysis of data from the 4,000 parents surveyed over weeks that gives us a better sense of how parents are navigating the challenges of COVID-19, what they expect with reopened schools, what they want after the killing of George Floyd, and how they are uses their CARES Act direct cash benefit. All of the data is also available on AEI’s website.
On Sunday, the NYT Editorial Board published an editorial mentioning our research on the number of teachers who may be vulnerable to COVID-19. “An analysis by John Bailey of the American Enterprise Institute shows that 18 percent of teachers and 27 percent of principals fall into the high-risk age category. Districts might end up offering buyouts for some their most vulnerable employees — and finding roles outside of schools for the others. This could create a staff shortage at precisely the time when districts are trying to lower the risk of spreading infection by cutting class size and staggering schedules to limit population density in school buildings.”
Credentials have become the coinage of the realm as labor markets demand higher levels of skills and experience. What was once confined to high school diplomas and college degrees has now become an ever-expanding range of credentials offered by schools, post-secondary institutions, apprenticeships, certifications programs, and boot camps. Unfortunately, there has been little data on what credentials exist, how portable they are, and which employers recognize them.
The non–profit Credential Engine has taken the first step in filling this information gap. It recently released a report containing what is believed to be the most comprehensive count of credentials in the labor market, finding a staggering 738,428 unique credentials that include…
Department of Education grants could boost these community projects that are tailored to local needs. Schools and universities are anchor institutions for many communities and can play a critical role in helping children climb out of poverty. The Department deserves credit for prioritizing Opportunity Zones as a way of ensuring that grant dollars reach the communities that need them most, and where they will have the biggest impact on children’s lives.
"We in education have just so siloed ourselves from these broader economic and development conversations, we're potentially missing our generation's largest economic development program," Bailey said in an interview. "Even if a school never takes in one cent of Opportunity Fund investments, there's all sorts of ways [for communities] to leverage Opportunity Funds to build out grocery stores, food options, stable housing. ... There's a lot of those types of investments that have direct education benefits."
The Opportunity Zone program received a considerable boost last week with several announcements during a White House convening of mayors, state policymakers, investors, and community organizations. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin announced a second tranche of proposed regulations for the Opportunity Zone program, this time clarifying how Qualified Opportunity Funds can be used for business investment in struggling communities. He also announced a new process to explore reporting requirements. Additionally, HUD Secretary Ben Carson released the implementation plan for the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.
John Bailey (EOP, DoC, DoEd) is a busy guy. As a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute he works on finding new ways to help “re-skill” individuals who have lost their jobs during times of economic disruption, whether because of normal business cycles, automation, or artificial intelligence. He is also a fellow at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative working on economic mobility and education issues. He also serves on a number of boards, including the Education Reform Advisory Council of the George W. Bush Institute. He also serves as a moderator for the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Network.
In late 2015, upon the birth of their first child, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his spouse, pediatrician Priscilla Chan, announced that they would dedicate 99 percent of their Facebook holdings — at the time, an estimated $45 billion — to “improving this world.” Who are the key staff members working alongside Mr. Zuckerberg and Dr. Chan to spend tens of billions of dollars?
John Bailey: The CZI education fellow’s former gigs include director of educational technology at the Department of Education, special adviser to President George W. Bush, and start-up consultant. He also spent a year at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, managing $20 million in advocacy grants.
It's the way Trump has discussed various groups of people, along with his non-existent education platform, that leads John Bailey, the vice president for policy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush), to swear off working for or providing counsel to Trump.
"I just don't believe he has an agenda," Bailey said. "It troubles me greatly how dismissive he is of many key groups, whether it's women, immigrants, or minorities."
