Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** July 18, 2024
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How Tech Companies Can Promote AI Safety
Many AI companies claim to be dedicated to seemingly conflicting goals: accelerating technological progress as rapidly--but also as safely--as possible.
According to RAND's Douglas Yeung, these companies don't seem to be succeeding. Their claims about the safety of AI products are undercut by reports of negligence and secrecy aimed at preserving profits, accelerating progress, or simply sparing the feelings of leaders.
So what can AI companies do differently?
To start, they could ban nondisparagement or confidentiality clauses, which discourage employees from expressing safety concerns. Tech companies could even take this a step further by encouraging employees and customers to identify flaws or safety issues in their software. Finally, these companies can learn from how other organizations and teams cultivate constructive dissent and promote transparency.
Taking steps such as these is vital to ensuring the safe development of AI technologies. "The stakes of silencing those who don't toe the company line, instead of viewing them as vital sources of mission-critical information," Yeung says, "are too high to ignore."
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New Evidence on the Effects of Gun Laws
As part of the RAND Gun Policy in America initiative, our researchers are conducting an ongoing systematic review of a broad set of U.S. firearm policies. The goal is to analyze the best scientific evidence available to better understand the effects of different gun laws. The latest review reveals some updated conclusions: For instance, there is supportive evidence--the strongest level of evidence in our analysis--that minimum age requirements for purchasing a firearm reduce firearm suicides among young people. Additionally, there is now supportive evidence that stand-your-ground laws increase rates of firearm homicide and total homicide, and that more permissive concealed-carry laws increase total homicide, firearm homicide, and violent crime.
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Unlocking Alaska's Potential in Critical Minerals Development
The increasing availability of solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy requires consistent access to more raw and processed minerals. The Arctic region, including Alaska, is rich in critical minerals that could help meet this demand. In a recent tabletop exercise, RAND researchers explored issues related to possible further development of critical minerals in the region. They conclude that Alaska and the Arctic "offer great promise" in this area. However, they also identified hurdles and risks--and the need to ensure critical minerals "can be developed in equitable, environmentally conscious, and financially sound ways."
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** RAND Recommends
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- Speaking to CBC/Radio-Canada, RAND's Alyssa Demus discussed the challenges facing Ukraine's mobilization effort, as well as the related issue of how to provide long-serving soldiers relief from duty.
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- RAND's Benjamin Preston recently wrote about why the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change should consider tackling the complexities of catastrophic risk in its next assessment.
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- A new journal article by RAND's Emily Ellinger explores how state leaders determine whether they should grant military access to outside powers during a war in which their country is not involved.
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** Events
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Policy Lab: Reconstructing Ukraine
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 (Online)
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Pardee RAND Admissions Webinar: Master of National Security Policy Overview
Thursday, July 25, 2024 (Online; more dates available at the link below.)
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