This article is written by Gaga Boskovic, Advisor, Government and Public Policy, CIFAR.

AI is a hot topic, but it can be shrouded in sensationalism and pop science. Understanding the realities of AI is essential to developing effective policies that can maximise benefits while mitigating potential risks.

In 2018, CIFAR and the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship developed the AI Futures Policy Labs, a series of workshops explaining what AI is (and isn’t), and where future AI research is taking us.

Through the labs, AI policy experts discussed the policy challenges, societal implications, and latest developments in public policy, bridging the gap between technology and policy.

This year, CIFAR launched the AI Futures Policy Labs Toolkit, a set of materials for a full-day self-facilitated workshop, enabling policy innovators from anywhere in the world to explore the intersection between public policy and AI with their teams.

The Toolkit includes a 4-part video series, featuring some of Canada’s leading AI and policy experts. The videos introduce fundamental topics to get workshop participants started, focusing on the following themes:

Mobilising resources and roadmaps

Policy Lab participants bring their own expertise to these conversations through their unique perspectives and experiences to inform the brainstorming process. Using real-world case studies of AI applications, facilitators guide these conversations towards their own options for public policy.

Facilitators are invaluable to this process, as are the numerous perspectives in the room, so how do we infuse these elements into the Toolkit?

  • A Facilitator Guide was specially developed for novice facilitators, so that anyone can take our methodology and host their own workshop with their colleagues, or try it alone

  • Canvas templates and worksheets were designed to be used with or without a facilitator, guiding users through the creative thinking process, and enabling them to look at the big picture to develop policy options

  • Real-life examples and case studies were compiled and made accessible as tangible examples to inspire discussions and brainstorming

  • Additional resources, like outcomes from past Policy Labs, national reports and strategies, and existing policy efforts, which can further inform the converversation and enrich learning.

The Toolkit provides policymakers with all of the tools and instructions they need to work through the process themselves, convene their friends and colleagues, or to host and facilitate a workshop of their own, either virtually or in person.

Building an international community

Our goal is to create new knowledge and ideas through new connections. The AI Futures Policy Labs Toolkit is just one example of what can happen when you bring together experts from different sectors, disciplines, jurisdictions, and areas of policy to develop a solution for a shared challenge. However, building a community virtually is a challenge in and of itself.

We hope that the AI Futures Toolkit will create a virtual network of policy innovators, and that they can take their learnings back to their own communities. Building capacity for policy innovation in the age of emerging technologies is an iterative process, and the Toolkit should be only the beginning of this conversation. — Gaga Boskovic

About CIFAR

CIFAR is a Canadian-based research organisation that convenes extraordinary minds to address the most important questions facing science and humanity. In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the world's first national AI strategy. CIFAR is supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec as well as international partner organisations, individuals, foundations and corporations.

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