Governance fix? Power and politics in controversies about governing generative AI

Bibliographic Data

ID6445220
AuthorsInga Ulnicane (0000-0003-2051-1265, University of Birmingham , Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume44
Issue1
Pages70-84
Publication date2024-07-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolicy and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1449-4035 • E-ISSN: 1839-3373
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/polsoc/puae022
OpenAlexW4400242370
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited35

The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 led to major controversies about the governance of generative artificial intelligence (AI). This article examines the first international governance and policy initiatives dedicated specifically to generative AI: the G7 Hiroshima process, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reports, and the UK AI Safety Summit. This analysis is informed by policy framing and governance literature, in particular by the work on technology governance and Responsible Innovation. Emerging governance of generative AI exhibits characteristics of polycentric governance, where multiple and overlapping centers of decision-making are in collaborative relationships. However, it is dominated by a limited number of developed countries. The governance of generative AI is mostly framed in terms of the risk management, largely neglecting issues of purpose and direction of innovation, and assigning rather limited roles to the public. We can see a “paradox of generative AI governance” emerging, namely, that while this technology is being widely used by the public, its governance is rather narrow. This article coins the term “governance fix” to capture this rather narrow and technocratic approach to governing generative AI. As an alternative, it suggests embracing the politics of polycentric governance and Responsible Innovation that highlight democratic and participatory co-shaping of technology for social benefit. In the context of the highly unequal distribution of power in generative AI characterized by a high concentration of power in a small number of large tech companies, the government has a special role in reshaping the power imbalances by enabling wide-ranging public participation in the governance of generative AI

Context (archaeology · Corporate governance · Economics · Framing (construction · Generative grammar · Government (linguistics · Management · Multi-level governance · Political science · Politics · Project governance · Public relations · Sociology · Technocracy · Computer Science · Engineering · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Innovation Policy and RD · Innovation, Technology, and Society · Artificial Intelligence · Law · Public Administration

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