CENTER FOR DATA INNOVATION 1
Ten Principles for Regulation
That Does Not Harm AI Innovation
By Daniel Castro | February 8, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to create many
significant economic and social benefits. However,
concerns about the technology have prompted
policymakers to propose a variety of laws and regulations
to create “responsible AI.” Unfortunately, many proposals
would likely harm AI innovation because few have
considered what “responsible regulation of AI” entails.
This report offers ten principles to guide policymakers in
crafting and evaluating regulatory proposals for AI that do
not harm innovation.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to improve, opportunities to use the
technology to increase productivity and quality of life will flourish across
many sectors of the economy, including health care, education,
transportation, and more. In response, policymakers have proposed a
variety of regulations to address concerns that this coming wave of AI
systems may cause harm. Minimizing potential harm from AI systems is an
important goal, but so too is maximizing the potential benefits of AI
systems. Implementing many of these proposals, especially in their current
form, is likely to have serious consequences because many of AI’s potential
benefits—including opportunities to use the technology both to save lives
and to improve living standards—may be delayed or denied with poorly
crafted regulations.
Policymakers want AI systems that do not cause harm, but they have not
mastered the art of creating regulations that do not harm AI innovation. If
policymakers decide that regulation is necessary, then to avoid slowing AI
innovation and adoption, they should follow these 10 principles:
1. Avoid pro-human biases.
2. Regulate performance, not process.
