CAIA Policy Reading Group
What kind of future are we governing for?
Join Cornell AI Alignment’s Policy Reading Group to explore what AI is, where it might be headed, and what we should do about it.
Each week, we’ll discuss readings that offer different perspectives on AI progress and governance—from competing forecasts of AI’s future to concrete policy proposals and evidence of its effects today. Expect a small, discussion-based group with room to question assumptions, disagree, and develop your own views.
Our first session: What kind of thing is AI?
Is AI best understood as an engineered tool, a social and cultural technology, or a potential digital mind? We’ll discuss competing perspectives on what AI is—and how those perspectives shape our expectations for its future and our approach to governing it.
Readings for this session
Technical background — optional if you’re new to AI or would like a refresher:
3Blue1Brown — Large Language Models Explained Briefly (video)
Adam Jones, BlueDot Impact — What Is AI Alignment?
Discussion readings — different ways of understanding AI:
Herbert A. Simon — The Sciences of the Artificial, Chapter 1: “Understanding the Natural and the Artificial Worlds”
Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor — AI as Normal Technology
Carl Shulman and Nick Bostrom — Sharing the World with Digital Minds
Henry Farrell, Alison Gopnik, Cosma Shalizi, and James Evans — Large AI Models Are Cultural and Social Technologies
We’ll share concise summaries and selected excerpts ahead of the session; you won’t need to read every full text. Come ready to discuss, question assumptions, and consider different perspectives.
Throughout the series, we’ll explore:
AI progress: What could accelerate development, and what might limit it?
Forecasting: Which benchmarks, trends, and predictions should we trust?
Governance: Should we pause, pace, or conditionally pursue advanced AI?
Specific policies: How do different approaches to transparency, liability, and oversight compare?
Real-world effects: What does the evidence tell us about AI’s impact on jobs, education, security, and resources?
Who should join?
Students interested in AI policy and governance, whether coming from a technical, policy, or interdisciplinary background. Some familiarity with AI will be helpful; no prior policy experience is needed. If you’re new to AI, the optional background materials above are a good place to start.
📍 Location: CIS 393 Wu Pavilion
🗓️ Wednesday, October 21 · 4:30–5:30 PM