Program Assistant Erin Connolly writes in Inkstick:
Hollywood is fascinated with the future. Long before Schwarzenegger was offering to “pump up Sacramento,” he was walking around naked and stalking Sarah Connor in The Terminator. Movies have depicted the consequences of evolving technology to captivated audiences for years. While Wall-E made my 13-year-old-self worry about sustainable habits on Earth, other films like I, Robot have subtly impacted the way in which the public perceives robots — and therefore artificial intelligence (AI) — today.
There is a major divide between public perception and US government policy on the topic. In fact, the consistent image of robots threatening humanity — combined with opaque policy — has undermined the Department of Defense’s ability to work with the private sector on emerging technology. Several documents released recently — like President Trump’s Executive Order and the Department of Defense AI Strategy summary — begin to clarify how government intends to incorporate AI, and make clear that Hollywood has a new role to play. Read more
