AI and the sovereignty of democratic societies

A blind man arbitrates at a painting competition, a deaf man chairs the committee at a Chopin competition. This is what society's oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to look like.

One of the cornerstones of a democratic society is sovereignty, understood as the ability of universally elected representatives to make rules and then have them enforced by courts or independent regulators. Whether this society is defined as local (Silesia), national (Poland) or at the continental level (Europe) is of secondary importance compared to whether the rules are made by an accountable public authority or not.

The ability to hold its representatives accountable through the electoral process is a cornerstone of a democratic society. Such scrutiny by the public is absent in e.g. private companies’ boards of directors. AI - sector crucial to the integrity of democratic elections or biosecurity - requires a different approach though than manufacturing of furniture or washing machines.

Artificial intelligence is a sphere that - as humanity - we are only getting to know in practice, as it develops. As recently as 10 years ago, AI struggled to properly classify images, and couldn't cope with basic mathematical problems. Today it is doing better than humans in many cases. The pace of development is reflected in the number of patents granted annually in the field of AI, which has increased 31-fold since 2010.

Regulating AI is a difficult and complex issue. In turn, the number of experts who understand AI in depth is very limited. For example, in the U.S. over the past decade, only 130-360 people per year have been awarded doctorates in the field (undergraduate and graduate degrees focus more on the practical application of the technology). In a record 2022, 362 people earned a doctorate in AI. The vast majority (280) chose the private sector. Only three went into government administration.

As a result of the huge economic potential, companies working in AI are pulling in whole vintages of top specialists year after year. The fact that almost all of the experts with practical experience and understanding of the field are working in the private sector means that with regard to the most fundamental space, the possibility of democratic oversight, rule-making and enforcement is slipping through our fingers. The sovereignty of society may become an illusion if in the 21st century AI - touching all spheres of life - will remain beyond effective public control.

The global trend is compounded by the lag in AI development between Europe and the US and China. Since 2020 China and the US accounted for 75-80% of AI investment and 61% and 21% of patents granted, respectively. A measly 2% of patents granted are in Europe. Data illustrating this gap can be multiplied. What should we do?

First, educate more people and further educate those already working, including the public sector. In May 2023 the US has made training and periodic renewal of basic AI competencies mandatory among government employees. Europe should follow the example from across the Atlantic.

Second, the public sector should offer salaries comparable to the private sector. A few hundred thousand or 1 million euros might seem to be an excessive salary for a civil servant or regulator in public administration. This approach, however, is akin to arguing over change in a beach bar when a tsunami can be already seen over the horizon. These sums are proportional to the tens of billions we stand to gain or lose annually as a result of a good or bad decisions. This is the private sector's reasoning. For an area crucial to democracy and sovereignty, that's how the public sector should view it too. AI supervision does not require - as is the case e.g. in sanitary control or construction supervision - thousands of employees. Despite the individually high salaries, the total cost would therefore not be large.

These are not easy answers either at the national or European level. The importance of AI is comparable to climate change and security vis-à-vis Russia. We should also treat it in a similar manner.

Photo source: 51cto.com