Q&A: How will policy shape the future of AI in Pennsylvania

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State experts are helping to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI) policy in Pennsylvania. Several researchers and students contributed to a recent Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission (JSGC) report on the evolution of artificial intelligence and the related applications, policy recommendations and regulatory considerations across key sectors.

The report, which was commissioned by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and released by the JSGC on Jan. 28, is intended to serve as a resource for sector leaders across the commonwealth, helping them better understand the complex benefits and risks of AI and consider actions Pennsylvania may take in the rapidly changing AI landscape.

In addition to contributions from several faculty members, Penn State's first Pennsylvania Legislative Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Jae Wan Ahn, contributed to the report. In this Q&A, Ahn discussed the report, his contributions and what he sees as the future of AI in the commonwealth.

Q: You contributed to this report as Penn State's first-ever Pennsylvania Legislative Science and Technology Policy Fellow, which is administered through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science and Technology Policy (COPA-STEP) Program in the Law, Policy, and Engineering Initiative (LPE) at Penn State. What are the goals and purpose of this fellowship? In your role as fellow, how did you specifically contribute to the report?

Ahn: The purpose of COPA-STEP's Pennsylvania Legislative Science and Technology Policy Fellowship is to support evidence-based policymaking in our state. Science and technology have become amazingly complex. I like quoting Arthur C. Clarke, who was a British sci-fi writer. He said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Complexity of modern science is such that even scientists sometimes have a hard time keeping track of all the knowledge. So, we can't expect our legislators to keep up with it all.

To help the Pennsylvania General Assembly with science- and technology-related policy issues, COPA-STEP fellows bring scientific expertise and research skills. Fellows are placed in legislative service agencies, like the JSGC, and legislative committees to provide expanded research capacity for policymakers to work from. As a fellow, I used my research skills as well as my ability to translate academic materials to write on technical topics that the general public may be unfamiliar with.

Q: What were the key findings and recommendations of the report? What advantages and concerns did the report identify, and how does it propose to implement AI across sectors while addressing its risks?

Ahn: The report covers more than 20 different topics ranging from regulation in other states to strategies for protecting data privacy to sector-specific uses of AI. I recommend that policymakers and interested Pennsylvanians focus on chapters relevant to them first. This was a joint effort between JSGC staff, including me and the advisory committee. The advisory committee was composed of representatives from various fields. As JSGC staff and I conducted research and drafted the report, the advisory committee reviewed each part to ensure the accuracy and timeliness. Finally, the advisory committee selected and approved the final list of recommendations that directly address the points we raised.

There is one takeaway that most chapters emphasized: While generative AI (GenAI) tools have much potential for reducing workload, they must complement and not supplant human oversight. This point is not just about addressing the fear of AI replacing human workers. Rather, it is about recognizing that GenAI models have gotten too complex for us to fully understand and that their answers could be inaccurate or biased.

The advisory committee made many recommendations across various topics. It is important to understand that decisions from Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., rather than Silicon Valley will determine how AI reshapes our world. However, because AI tools are so new, we do not yet have the templates for policies that work. So, the advisory committee's first recommendation is for the state to revisit and revise any legislation on AI as circumstances change. The second is to create a permanent commission with all necessary technical expertise to guide policy decisions. The first two recommendations would enable Pennsylvania to set the benchmark for good policies that other states can emulate. The third is to enhance transparency, accountability and data collection capacity among relevant industry players. This could be something as in-depth as requiring AI developers to conduct algorithmic audits every year or as simple as requiring Pennsylvania employers to report when they use AI for jobs traditionally handled by humans.

To add a personal note, I would also stress that preparation and adequate investment are crucial. I believe Pennsylvania's 2,600 municipalities should shore up cybersecurity before introducing AI tools. The state should invest in AI literacy and media literacy efforts targeting the general public, as well as students from K-12 through university. Penn State has taken a first step in this area, by launching its own AI Transformation initiative. A community is only as strong as its members, and, in my opinion, a more systematic, centralized policy to invest in AI literacy and encourage interdisciplinary research should benefit all Penn Staters.

Q: Based on the report, what do you think the future of AI look like in Pennsylvania?

Ahn: As AI becomes more common, a number of things in our lives will change. Firstly, our work will change. Farmers can use AI to quickly analyze weather patterns and plan for planting and harvesting at optimal times. Researchers can have AI tools complete routine tasks like sorting through and cleaning data. Secondly, what we teach our children will change. We will need to teach future generations to use AI effectively while maintaining critical thinking skills. Thirdly, how we manage the land and resources will change. Current AI models require a large number of data centers, which in turn require an unprecedented amount of energy and water, and electronic equipment generally has a short lifespan. That leaves us with a question: How do we maximize the positive impact of AI while replenishing resources and limiting pollution from electricity generation? In my opinion, no state has yet figured that out. But this report should provide Pennsylvania with a toolkit of information and recommendations for how to move forward with this quickly evolving technology.

Additional expertise from Penn State

In addition to Ahn, Penn State had several representatives on the advisory committee, including Mehrdad Mahdavi, associate professor of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering and director of the Penn State AI Hub; Soundar R. Kumara, Allen E. Pearce and Allen M. Pearce Professor in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in the College of Engineering and director of the Center for Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Industry; Jeremy Blum, chair and associate professor of mathematics and computer science at Penn State Harrisburg; and Mary E. Ogidigben, doctoral candidate in the Laboratory for Intelligent Systems and Analytics in the College of Engineering.

The report also draws on research by Kelley Cotter in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), whose work on AI algorithms and AI literacy highlights the growing social impacts of artificial intelligence. The report cited additional research by Sarah Rajtmajer and Jonathan Dodge, also in IST, on the complexities of human-computer interactions and the limits and possibilities of algorithmic accountability, respectively.

The development of the COPA-STEP program comes from the interdisciplinary work of Christine Kirchhoff, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of LPE, and Stefan Peterson, COPA-STEP director. LPE is housed in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation in the College of Engineering. The inaugural fellow of the Pennsylvania Legislative Science and Technology Policy Fellowship was made possible thanks to the support of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State's Law, Policy, and Engineering Initiative, and the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.