Exploring National Artificial Intelligence Policy Trajectories Through Democracy

Abstract

Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) have simultaneously provoked widespread hope and fears. The technology raises countless economic, social, political, and cultural uncertainties. In this environment, several regulatory approaches have emerged that attempt to govern AI. In the academic literature, these approaches have largely been classified using China, the European Union, and the United States as the baseline of study because of their distinct regulatory approaches, despite the availability of dozens of public policy options to these polities. This raises a question, what accounts for these distinct regulatory approaches? This study examines the relationship between democracy and national AI public policy pursuits. It relies on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s four AI policy categories: Governance, Guidance and Regulation, Financial Supports, and AI Enablers and Other Incentives, and the Varieties of Democracy Electoral Democracy Index to statistically examine whether a relationship exists between democracy and national AI policies. The study’s results are inconclusive because of a limited sample size presents some exploratory findings for understanding national AI policy development.