Two-day conference at MU aims to prepare governments for AI and its best use
Creating an artificial intelligence-ready public sector is a goal of a two-day AI conference at the University of Missouri, presented by the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs and the School of Law.
The conference, in room 7 of Hulston Hall at MU, continued Friday with a focus on government regulation of AI.
One of Thursday's panelists, Yu-Che Chen from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, noted the value of the conference.
"I see this as an excellent opportunity for all of us," Chen said.
AI already has gone through many changes in its relatively short period of development, Chen said.
"AI is new, but it's gone through different stages of development and evolution," Chen said.
Industry is adopting AI at a faster rate than government is, said MU law school professor Dennis Crouch during a break in the conference. He's among the conference organizers.
"Everyone is grappling with it," Crouch said.
Determining how government can use AI in responsible ways is an aim of the conference, he said.
"A big part of this is how can government do this?" he said.
Another aspect is how government should regulate AI for public safety, he said.
There are many unknowns about AI but some of the conference panelists are among the experts, he said.
"It is such an emergent field and there are so many actors getting on board," Crouch said.
Artificial intelligence capability and governance was the topic of a presentation by Luis Felipe Luna-Reyes, from State University of New York Albany.
"You will find a lot of literature from those I will call the evangelists," Luna-Reyes said.
They are those who promote all the potential benefits of AI, he said.
"On the other side is the critics" for whom AI represents the dark side, he said
"Both of these are true," he said.
For his research, he interviewed individuals in state and local government in New York state and also in Mexico.
State and local governments are not an enterprise with a single goal, as industry is, he said.
His research found short-term benefits for governments using AI in hiring, but the biggest benefit was its use in governance, he said.
Chen's presentation was based on his research using AI for a collaborative emergency management between tribal nations and the federal government.
He worked closely with the Omaha Nation in Nebraska to develop and AI chatbot, he said.
"The puzzle we're trying to solve is how to make AI systems accountable," Chen said.
Indigenous people are probably the most vulnerable, he said.
"During disaster, they suffer the most," Chen said. "That's a time when people face great challenges."
The university partnered with the Omaha Nation, he said.
"We allowed the native members to design the chatbot with us, to ensure it's accountable to all stakeholders," Chen said. "This co-design is a powerful governance tool that is available to us."
The lack of internet service in some areas is a problem, he said.
"That digital divide is a huge challenge here," Chen said.
In many federal laws, tribal nations are treated as local governments, causing them to have to work through the state during emergencies, he said.
Using satellite images to determine how aid is distributed was the topic of a presentation by Connor Jerzak, with the University of Texas, Austi.
Satellite data is without cost, universally available and objective, Jerzak said.
Improving technology also has improved the resolution of the images, he said.
"How can we use earth observational data for policy evaluation?" he said.
Before and after satellite images can determine how specific aid progams perform in every part of the world, he said.
The impact of AI on public attitudes and behavior was the topic of an afternoon panel.
Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: MU conference looks at how government can use AI to benefit people
