US Computer Science Professors Advocate for New Federal Agency to Regulate AI, Survey Finds

A recent survey conducted by Axios, Generation Lab, and Syracuse University, which involved 213 computer science professors from 65 prestigious U.S. universities, reveals that a significant number of experts advocate for the creation of a new federal agency solely dedicated to governing artificial intelligence (AI). When asked about the ideal entity for regulating AI, the majority of respondents favored either a “new ‘Department of AI’ government agency” (37%) or a “global organization or treaty” (22%).

In contrast, only 16% suggested “Congress” as the appropriate regulatory authority, and just 2% more than that deemed AI “irrelevant: AI cannot be regulated.” The remaining 10% of respondents split their preferences among options like the “White House” (4%), the “private sector” (3%), and those who believed “AI should not be regulated” (3%).

The survey also delved into the experts’ views on the impact of AI on employment. Most respondents encouraged young individuals to pursue careers in AI, engineering, and data science. In contrast, 31% discouraged careers in media, and 19% discouraged careers in the arts. A notable 42% recommended “none of the above.”

Regarding the question of whether there is a point in AI’s evolution beyond which humans cannot regain control, opinions were divided. Approximately 41% believed “no, probably not,” 35% thought “yes, probably,” 19% said “no, definitely not,” and 6% were convinced that “yes, definitely” there is such a point.

Interestingly, the experts’ perspectives appeared to contrast with those of the general public and business leaders. While the latter often express concerns about AI’s potential to rapidly reshape the economy and employment landscape, 73% of the surveyed professors believed that AI would be capable of performing less than 20% of tasks currently done by humans at or above human proficiency.