Think tanks are a vital part of the policy ecosystem, but what do they do? In this installment of Science Policy IRL, host Jason Lloyd talks to Neil Chilson, head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute. He has been involved in science and technology policy for his whole career, previously practicing telecommunications law and serving as the Federal Trade Commission’s chief technologist.

In this episode, Chilson discusses what it’s like to work at a policy think tank, the questions about artificial intelligence that motivate his work, and why he is optimistic about our technological future. 

Resources

Check out Neil Chilson’s book, Getting Out Of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World.

Find more of Chilson’s work on his website and explore his Substack, including: 

• “Red Teaming AI Legislation: Lessons from SB 1047”: How the concept of “red teaming” can be applied to creating legislation. 

• “10 Years After the Best Tech Policy Movie Ever”: Lessons from The Lego Movie for emergent leadership.

Learn more about the Abundance Institute’s vision for artificial intelligence policy by reading their recommendations here.