Founded in 2017, the AI Now Institute produces diagnosis and policy research on artificial intelligence, developing policy strategies to redirect away from the current trajectory of unbridled commercial surveillance, consolidation of power in very few companies, and lack of public accountability. In the years since its founding, AI Now has set the bar for discourse-shaping work that focuses on the social consequences of AI and the industry behind it. AI Now’s leadership were invited to advise the US Federal Trade Commission on artificial intelligence in 2021, an honor recognizing the significance of the organization’s work and providing significant opportunity for impact. As of mid-2022, AI Now operates as an independent organization and does not accept funding from corporate donors, including the tech industry it aims to hold accountable. As a policy research institute, AI Now’s current approach is to identify and capitalize on actionable policy windows, advance narratives that chart a long-term strategy for the field, and catalyze energy towards action in close partnership with a broad coalition of allies.
Why it matters: AI Now Institute produces rigorous policy research on AI’s social consequences while maintaining independence from corporate funding, including refusing money from the tech industry it holds accountable—enabling critique unburdened by conflicts of interest. By focusing on redirecting AI away from unbridled commercial surveillance and power consolidation rather than merely studying AI’s impacts, AI Now demonstrates that effective policy research requires both diagnosis and strategic intervention at actionable policy windows. The Institute’s discourse-shaping work has set the bar for examining AI’s social consequences and the industry behind it, with its leadership advising the Federal Trade Commission and catalyzing action through broad coalitions, proving that independent research can influence regulatory bodies and shift narratives about technology’s long-term trajectory.
