Author: Freyja van den Boom

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges. This paper addresses the critical issue of ensuring that AI benefits society while mitigating potential harms. The primary concern is the concentration of power among a few companies that control AI development and deployment, raising questions about who decides the permissible uses of AI. Additionally, there is apprehension about the potential misuse of AI by various entities, including governments.

Meta serves as a pertinent example, claiming openness while allowing military applications, thus highlighting the need for transparent and inclusive decision-making processes. Our approach emphasizes the importance of basing discussions on well-founded information and aligning them with public interests. This involves determining whether, when, and how to regulate AI, and identifying who should make decisions in cases of competing interests. The goal is to balance the benefits of AI, ensuring equitable distribution, against the potential harms.

To address these challenges, our aims are:

1. Challenging Existing Insights: We examine how myths, metaphors, and worldviews shape our understanding and decision-making processes regarding AI. By questioning these influences, we aim to foster more informed and nuanced discussions.

2. Promoting Inclusivity: We advocate for the inclusion of diverse stakeholders and
underrepresented perspectives in AI governance. Speculative design is suggested as a method to engage people through artifacts and other non-academic approaches, encouraging them to reflect on their positions and backgrounds. We apply causal layered analysis to explore the necessary restrictions on AI and speculative design to propose appropriate licensing frameworks. This dual approach aims to create a more inclusive and responsible AI governance model that balances benefits and harms effectively.