Mathematical engineering theories are useful in numerous ways, whether in providing fundamental relationships between the capabilities of emerging technologies and the resources they require; establishing fundamental benchmarks to evaluate new technologies on absolute scales, rather than only compared to previous technologies; delineating what is possible from what is impossible (and principles for optimal architectures); and giving ideals for pushing industry to build technologies that approach/achieve these limits. Yet, engineering theory is largely ignored in technology policymaking.
Here, we argue that engineering theory can play dual roles for policy. First as a way to inform policymaking, via methods for net assessment, relationships between capabilities and resources for regulatory policy, and architectures for industrial policy. Second as a policy lever itself, through mechanisms of performativity and by countering philosophies of computational positivism. To make this case, we present vignettes from several areas of emerging tech policy including AI, 6G wireless, semiconductors, quantum, and climate. For example, novel engineering theory can characterize emergent capabilities of AI and alternative paths to artificial general intelligence (AGI), for AI policymaking. These vignettes will draw on policy work at the White House, with the City of Syracuse, and with the Indian Forest Service.
Bio: Lav Varshney is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, co-founder and CEO of Kocree, Inc., a startup company using novel human-integrated AI in social music co-creativity platforms to enhance human wellbeing across society, and chief scientist of Ensaras, Inc., a startup company focused on AI and wastewater treatment. He also holds affiliations with RAND Corporation and with Brookhaven National Laboratory.
He is a former White House staffer, having just served on the National Security Council staff as a White House Fellow, where he contributed to national AI and wireless communications policy. Previously at IBM Research, he led the development and deployment of the Chef Watson system for culinary creativity as the first commercially successful generative AI technology, which also received worldwide acclaim. At Salesforce Research, he was part of the team that open-source released the largest and most capable large language model at the time.
His work and public scholarship has been featured in media ranging from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times, NPR, Slate, and The New Yorker. He appeared in the Robert Downey, Jr. documentary series, Age of AI. He holds a B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from Cornell University and S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His current research interests include information theory; artificial intelligence foundations, explainability, and governance; agent-based policymaking; and AI applications in health and wellbeing.
In-person attendance is open to Princeton University faculty, staff and students. This seminar is open to the general public, at this link, via Zoom. It will be recorded and posted to the CITP website, the CITP YouTube channel and the Princeton University Media Central channel.
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