Ever since the advent of the internet, I have believed that this technology would enable us to communicate and would ultimately save humanity. Despite the terrible news that we see and hear about daily, that belief has endured over time.
I recently took the time to attend a Zoom presentation, "How AI Could Save Our Democratic Institutions", sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Maine, Alaska and Colorado as part of their series, “Let’s Talk About Digital Threats to Democracy”, which was a bit misleading in this instance. Instead of increasing my anxiety, I left the presentation feeling hopeful and empowered.
They gave examples of how other countries are using AI and regulating technology and pointed out that the US is lagging behind. Britain is using a suite of AI-powered tools called "Humphrey" that’s used by over 1,000 civil servants to automate and speed up administrative tasks. For example, one tool summarizes public consultation responses in minutes. Another example was Taiwan who controls up to 90% of the world's AI server manufacturing capacity, making it a critical supplier for major tech companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Their government is investing over $3.08 billion to accelerate AI development.
I hope you will take the time to watch the video recording and consider how our League might use technology to improve outreach and carry out our mission to empower voters and defend democracy.