A pediatrician, a retiree and a journalist walked into a library to talk about AI. What sounds like a set-up for a bad joke was actually a new civic initiative sponsored by local nonprofit leaders to lead public discussion on pressing issues.
Utah Common Ground is a project started by a coalition of non-partisan non-profits focused on helping citizens across the political spectrum to come together and find middle ground.
“One reason why we’re called Utah Common Ground is because we want to find the common ground for everyone in Utah," volunteer from Utah Common Ground, Anna Neumann, said.
The topic they chose for citizens to discuss was the future impact of AI on their communities. They hold virtual events, as well as in-person discussions that are open to all members of the local community.
"AI is already changing the way we learn, work and live each day," Neuman said. "We hope that Utah Common Ground will give people in Utah a way to come together and discuss how we can best access the benefits of AI and manage its risks to our communities.
During the meeting, local attorney Joe Cartwright facilitated a discussion on ways AI is already affecting schools, workplaces and inter-personal relationships. Participants first brainstormed ways artificial intelligence could positively impact their communities, including advancements in medicine, faster information processing, professional writing assistance and research support.
Local community members also voiced what they found concerning about the current direction of AI, including: misinformation, surveillance, fraud, negative mental health impacts and a decrease of entry-level jobs.
Everyone had time and opportunity to voice their genuine thoughts on AI, leading to an open discussion.
"We are not deciding policy today," Cartwright said. "This is just the beginning of the conversation."
Organizers also shared polling data gathered through their online poll, where Utahns can anonymously express their agreement with statements about AI. They found some points of agreement from the data.
According to the poll:
- 93% of respondents supported stronger precautions for youth interacting with AI.
- 90% agreed that workers should have protections if their jobs are threatened by AI automation.
- 77% supported giving parents the ability to set up parental control on AI systems.
While the AI discussion is just the pilot program, organizers hope they can eventually expand to other issues and into communities across the United States.
Catherine Eslinger, one of the lead organizers of the initiative, described Utah Common Ground as an adaptation of citizen assemblies, where groups of residents deliberate on major civic questions to then be passed on to elected officials to make informed decisions.
"It's a public problem-solving project that is helping Utahns find areas of broad agreement," Eslinger said. "We want to gather people to deliberate and decide on good solutions that they can then propose to elected officials, school boards and other kinds of decision makers."
Eslinger explained that citizen assemblies can be costly and inaccessible to many people. She said that she hopes Utah Common Ground can create a process for smaller cities and counties to replicate and implement in their localized communities.
"If you have an issue that you need to solve in your city, you could use this process that we're piloting and come out with broadly acceptable policy," she said.
By the end of their meeting, participants found a common ground: Human creativity and connection should not be changed by the development of AI.