AI lobbyists and retarded electric planes

Nathan E. Sanders is a data scientist and affiliate with the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and a Fellow and Lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School.

Lobbying has long been part of the give and take between policymakers and advocates trying to balance their competing interests, but some companies are adept at using legal but underhanded strategies to tilt the rules in their favor.

AI tools could make these types of sneaky strategies more widespread and effective. A natural opening for this technology comes in the form of micro-legislation, a term for small bills that cater to narrow interests.

Computer models can predict the likely fate of proposed legislative amendments, as well as the pathways by which lobbyists can most effectively achieve desired results, a critical part of building an AI lobbyist.

The danger of micro-legislation – a danger greatly exacerbated by AI – is that it can be used in ways that make it difficult to determine who the legislation really benefits. Read the full story.

The trail of futuristic electric planes is still long

The news: The future of flight has just been delayed, for one startup at least. Today, Beta Technologies pushed back the debut of its futuristic electric plane that can take off and land like a helicopter. Instead, it announced plans to certify a more conventional version of its electric aircraft by 2025.