Aspen Digital

It wasn’t reporting on AI that first got me into artificial intelligence. I got interested in AI the way a lot of us do – watching movies and TV when I was a kid. I loved watching Data on Star Trek and C-3PO in Star Wars. I loved the first two Terminator movies – especially the 2nd one where (spoiler alert!) Arnold Schwarzanegger is on our side. I was probably six or seven when my mom read me the Isaac Asimov Foundation series.

To tell the truth, these stories are a big part of why I studied Applied Mathematics at UCLA, why I am getting a Masters in Public Policy at Georgetown, and why I’ve spent so much time studying technology policy. I care about what the future looks like, and I want to make sure we do a good job building it. That said, while taking inspiration from fiction about what the future could look like (think Star Trek, not the Terminator) is great, it can be dangerous when we let those fantasies creep into the way we think about the real challenges and opportunities we may face using AI. 

Chat GPT isn’t conscious, like Data or C-3PO. And AI isn’t a government plot gone wrong, like the Terminator. Language matters. When people talk or write inaccurately about AI, it feeds an incorrect public view that can lead to unnecessary fear, bad policy, and an inaccurate perception of what risks we should prioritize.

Since September, I’ve worked as a Google Public Policy Fellow at Aspen Digital. One thing we’ve emphasized in my time here is shifting the public conversation on AI to better reflect what AI actually is and what it means for people. In pursuit of this effort, Aspen Digital published three introductory primers on artificial intelligence to help journalists reporting on AI, detailing what it is, how it works, and who creates it.

And while I appreciate the value of more poetic descriptions of the world, my education has taught me the value of accurate language, too. In math, precise definitions are the building blocks for the entire field. In public policy, vague phrasing can create a loophole in a law or make it easier for someone in power to avoid accountability. Accurate language is equally important in journalism. Certainly, analogies and metaphors can be powerful tools with the right context. But when it comes to educating people about the pressing issues of our time, we need to meet a higher standard.

As I complete my final months of grad school, I plan to continue my work on artificial intelligence, election policy, and campaign finance reform. As I deepen my expertise in these areas, I’m preparing for a career of working to bring about the change we need to see in policy and technology. I’ll do my part to make sure our future is more like Star Trek and less like the Terminator – while remembering not to take science fiction too seriously.

Tom Latkowski is an MPP candidate at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy who currently works as a Google U.S. Public Policy Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He has previously interned at the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Tom has previously worked on campaign finance reform, including writing a book on democracy vouchers, and co-founding an organization to advocate for campaign finance reform in Los Angeles. Tom attended UCLA for his bachelor’s degree, where he studied Political Science and Applied Mathematics.