Talking to a Brick Wall

Building trust in artificial intelligence (AI) is an elusive goal, especially if AI models are closed or partially open. For this reason, in the United States the Biden administration sought public input on the potential risks and benefits of these models, as well as on policy approaches, through a public consultation process.

In this paper, Susan Ariel Aaronson discusses the outcomes of that process, finding the participants “were not a representative sample of Americans who use or might be affected by open versus closed AI systems” and “were generally those whose voices are already heard on AI governance.” Further, “policy makers did not really listen to — or even report on — what they heard,” missing an opportunity to build trust. In the future, “one option might be to utilize citizen science strategies in concert with other approaches.”

Following skirmishes in Galwan in the India-China border areas in the summer of 2020 — which led to the loss of soldiers’ lives on both sides for the first time in several decades — and four years of painstaking negotiations amid frosty relations, China and India reached an understanding to disengage forces in close proximity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met on the margins of the BRICS summit in Kazan, and high-level exchanges followed to negotiate the path of rapprochement.

In this op-ed, a version of which was first published by NDTV, Sanjay Bhattacharyya writes that “as the two civilizations gain major power status, there remains a divergence in perception and approach that may widen if left untended….We are entering an era in which the Indian narrative of ‘two tigers find space in the forest’ provides a cooperative and harmonious model for both Asia and the global community and specifically for India and China, as they seek to strike a balance between cooperation and competition.”

“Whoever is prime minister after the April 28 election will have a long list of priorities to tackle,” says James A. Haley, one that includes “an ambitious program of nation-building infrastructure investments...as well as the rapid strengthening of the Canadian Armed Forces.”

In this opinion, Haley reminds us of how Canada at the outbreak of the Second World War, “woefully ill-prepared” following the Great Depression, faced similar challenges. Yet, within a short period, “the country was producing enough arms and matériel to not only equip its own armed forces but also to supply its allies.” How did Canada do it?

Haley lists five elements that shaped that effort; “the same five elements and identical values and devotion are required to meet the challenges facing Canada today.”

As Canadians go to the polls, Wesley Wark analyzes the platforms of the Conservatives, the Liberals and the New Democratic Party in Canada, all of which “see the economic policies of the Trump administration as a key threat, and…propose variants on a fortress economy model for Canada as a solution.” These platforms are “very public promises about action, should a party be elected to govern. Of all the elements of campaign platforms, it is those promissory notes that really matter.”

Yet, he argues, “by any measure, the campaign platforms of the parties offer little planning for the worst and little thinking on the new threat environment. Shying away in public from the worst case, shaped by the United States, may be an understandable impulse during an election campaign. Let’s hope it’s not maintained by the next government in power.”

How do you discover music? College radio, word of mouth, serendipity — or your very own AI DJ? In 2006, Spotify’s founders discovered music as “a traffic source” for an advertising model, and have since transformed the music industry. But what are their goals or values when it comes to music and culture beyond the pursuit of profit, and what does it mean for musicians and music lovers? And why aren’t policy makers more concerned about this mega platform?

In episode 15 of Policy Prompt, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson welcome Liz Pelly, music and media critic, and the author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Atria, 2025). Together they chat about how we’ve consumed our music over the years, and how it’s been fed to us, from the “stimulus progression” of Muzak’s elevator tunes to the “mood-driven logic” of Spotify’s algorithmic curation.

The Digital Policy Hub at CIGI is a collaborative space for emerging scholars and innovative thinkers from the social, natural and applied sciences. Here are the most recent working papers published by Hub fellows from the fall 2024 term.

Laine McCrory: “Avoiding Catastrophe Through Intersectionality in Global AI Governance”

Madison Lee: “Big Tech, Venture Capital and Shaping Innovation in Canada’s Tech Start-Ups”

Follow the links on the Hub webpage to learn more about the Hub scholars and their work.