Fixing Congress with AI
by Ed Sawicki
originally written on June 23, 2021
In recent years, there's been much discussion of Artificial Intelligence ranging from warnings about it potentially causing the end of human civilization to greatly improving medical care and extending human longevity.
AI expert Daphne Koller makes a case for AI being better at healthcare diagnostics than the present doctor-centric system. My own experience with the healthcare system suggests this is true.
In 2014, I proposed that an AI-based system be applied to government. Four years later, on January 25, 2018, UK Prime Minister Theresa May made a pitch for it at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She called it ethical AI.
In the U.S., the large body of rules needed to train the AI already exist:
- The U.S. Constitution and its Amendments
- The United States Code (USC) that codifies our federal laws
- Treaties
- State laws
- Congressional Budget Office
- Office of Management and Budget
- Best practices determined by industry, trade groups, science, professional associations, etc.
- Budgets and outcomes (think military)
Once taught the rules, AI could do a better job than our present Congress and probably no worse than a well-functioning one.
I'm not proposing that Congress be replaced with AI. Rather, the AI and Congress should operate in parallel. Politicians who propose things that go against the AI should need to explain why.
It may also help to improve the quality of news reporting.
Sources
Theresa May wants UK to be world leader in ‘ethical AI’
Theresa May's Davos address in full
Daphne Koller: Biomedicine and Machine Learning
Wikipedia: Open Letter on Artificial Intelligence
What is an Ethical Artificial Intelligence? Mozilla Explains
What is Artificial Intelligence? Mozilla Explains.
Charlie Munger, Bill Gates On Future Of Artificial Intelligence | CNBC
Dept of State: Treaties in Force