Ideas on Optimizing the Future Soft Law Governance of AI

Abstract

This special issue published in cooperation with IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society (December 2021) is dedicated to examining the governance of artificial intelligence (AI) through soft law. These programs are characterized by the creation of substantive expectations that are not directly enforced by government [1], [2]. The articles herein were selected from a project funded by the Charles Koch Foundation and administered by Arizona State University. Through this initiative, academics and representatives from the private and nonprofit sector were invited to a series of workshops.The first workshop took place in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2020, where individuals participated in a roundtable discussion on special topics related to 'AI Governance and Soft Law' and were asked to submit articles for initial review on a number of theoretical and applied areas. A second workshop was held virtually on October 9, 2020, providing a forum for the presentation of preliminary articles and feedback. A number of these articles were further developed and selected for peer review, and a subselection made it into the final double special issue.