Tech Policy Lab Executive Director Alex Bolton has been named a Siegel Research Fellow.
The fellowship awarded by Siegel Family Endowment supports individuals who “explore instrumental research questions underpinning our grantmaking while bolstering our in-house research capabilities.”
Bolton hosts weekly campus-wide Tech Policy Discussions; co-instructs a Technology Law, Policy and Ethics course; and serves as a substantive expert on tech policy. He is also a founding member of the Public Tech Leadership Collaborative Steering Committee, a peer learning collective of scholars, researchers, and government leaders committed to addressing the social and cultural implications of data and technology.
Bolton’s work through the Siegel fellowship will add to the capacity of the Tech Policy Lab, furthering its mission of helping generate wiser, more inclusive tech policy. He plans to focus his research on the impacts of AI and explore how the dynamic technology is bringing forward questions about health, regulation and privacy.
“At the Tech Policy Lab we’re uniquely situated to look at the array of disciplines that have important things to say to help explain the larger picture,” he said. “The interdisciplinary approach is a unique way to look at it technically, sociologically, legally, and through a policy lens as well.”
Co-Director Ryan Calo is supporting Bolton in his research and sees his role at the intersection as Executive Director especially well suited to examining these topics.
“Alex is well positioned to help address this critical, yet wildly underregulated space,” Calo said.
His project will consider AI from multiple angles: the anthropomorphization of AI chatbots; the potential for dependence on them; First Amendment questions including freedom of speech; investigation of the application of Section 230; and the civil liberty implications of proposed age verification regulations.
He says this work is especially important because of the growing concerns about the technology’s influence on the younger generation.
“We’re seeing a lot of articles about the impact chatbots have had on younger people, and concerns around mental health and even suicides,” he said. “There’s a larger context about banning cell phones in schools, and how France and Australia are banning social media for users under 16. Being a parent makes this hit home and makes it more concrete; I am personally worried about these issues.”
The research is timely as many states are starting to pass legislation that has not yet worked its way through court systems, where questions about regulation could be fully explored.
Contact Alex Bolton at bolt@uw.edu.