SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fathoman organization mapping broad and diverse societal ambitions into the concrete steps needed to realize a vision of an AI-enabled world, today announced the launch of a $25 million initiative. As a first step, Fathom is publishing initial insights from public opinion polling and ongoing focus groups that show a growing consensus on the role of governments and AI companies in the development and implementation of AI.
“The explosion of artificial intelligence means we need new ways to have thoughtful conversations between technologists, policymakers, and just about everyone else. It's important that there are trusted voices that have these conversations grounded in data about the real concerns and aspirations of the American people,” said Andy Hickle, advisor to Fathom and CTO of the Allen Institute. “We're impressed with Fathom's commitment to developing expertise on AI and translating society's aspirations into a roadmap that reflects the diverse voices and perspectives we need for a balanced and inclusive AI future.”
“Building a comprehensive roadmap starts with listening, and we've been meeting with civic, business, technology, and policy leaders, holding focus groups, and surveying the public for just the last three months,” said Blake Pierson, co-founder and CEO of Fathom. “We'll have more to share in the coming days, but today we want to share some insights about how the public is thinking about AI right now.”
The poll, conducted with the help of leading cross-party pollsters including Molly Murphy (Democrat, Impact Research) and Patrick Ruffini (Republican, Echelon Insights), found that Americans are evenly split across party lines between hope, concern, and ambivalence about AI. However, a majority of voters (66%) agree that the federal government has a role to play in creating guardrails and protections to address concerns about how artificial intelligence is developed and used. This view is shared across party lines by 60% of Republicans, 72% of Democrats, and 64% of independents.
But Americans also believe these policymakers lack the knowledge and expertise to effectively govern AI, and have acted too slowly: 57% of voters don't trust the federal government to properly govern AI. They're also ambivalent about whether companies developing AI can develop appropriate guardrails (50% to 47%). When asked who they would trust, 65% of voters say they would trust a public-private coalition to ensure AI is developed with the right guardrails. Again, this view crosses party lines.
Download the full version Fathom Report or summary.
“Our polling shows where Congress will stand as the power of AI continues to grow and the technology becomes more pervasive,” said Andrew Friedman, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Fathom. “A majority of Americans believe government should play a key role, but an even larger majority question whether government can do so. Our polling and focus groups also show that Americans are already growing skeptical of AI companies' ability to put social good above profit. To be clear, these two groups play an important role in the debate, but to find a positive, inclusive approach to AI implementation, we need a broader, more diverse range of voices to be involved in the conversation. That's why Fathom exists.”
Through listening, learning, and education, Fathom translates society's needs, hopes, and fears into practical roadmaps for action. To support these efforts, Fathom is announcing a research network, starting with RAND's Technology and Security Policy Center and the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. These research centers will focus on collecting new and novel research on the best path forward for using AI to ensure national security and defense. The network will expand in the coming months to support Fathom's other current research areas: AI and Business and Innovation, and AI and Democracy and Society.
Fathom is also announcing that it will host its first annual summit on January 7-9, 2025. This inaugural event will bring together experts, advocates and leaders from across disciplines and backgrounds to assess existing knowledge about AI's potential and how best to responsibly guide its use in core areas. As Washington transitions from campaigning to governing for the first time since adopting AI, the summit will focus on how policymakers and stakeholders should think about AI and develop a set of recommendations to frame efforts to set the direction for AI development and deployment.
About Fathom
Fathom is comprised of a number of outstanding advisors and researchers with a wide range of expertise in national security, government, civic engagement, innovation, and the societal and ethical implications of AI, including:
- Rear Admiral Hugh W. Howard III, former commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command
- Professor S. Craig Watkins, Executive Director, IC2 Institute, University of Texas at Austin
- Professor Eitan Hirsch, Political Science Professor, Tufts University
- Andy Hickle, Chief Technology Officer, Allen Institute
- Dr. Steve Omohundro, Founder and CEO of Beneficial AI Research
- Dr. Jeff Alstott, Director, RAND Corporation Center on Technology and Security Policy
- Gregory C. Allen, Director, Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technology, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Fathom was founded by three people with the experience and expertise to bridge the gap between DC, Silicon Valley, and the rest of the US.
Blake Pearson is the CEO of Fathom. Blake's roots are as an entrepreneur and builder, having spent over a decade in Silicon Valley developing a deep understanding of users' needs, wants, and fears, and then building the technology and teams to solve and meet those needs.
Andrew Friedman Andrew is Fathom's Chief Strategy Officer. Andrew has over 15 years of experience in coalition building in the technology and emerging regulatory sectors, including serving as a partner at a top 10 government relations firm in Washington, D.C. Notably, Andrew implemented the world's first cannabis regulatory system in the state of Colorado.
Julie Crabill is the Chief Communications Officer at Fathom. Julie is a communicator and storyteller who has spent the last 20 years focused on community building, branding, and reputation management, with a focus on technology that makes people's lives better.
Fathom is an independent 501(c)(3) organization that wants to successfully transition society to an AI-powered world. To do this, everyone, from businesses and NGOs to ordinary people, must have a say in what an AI-powered world looks like. Fathom exists to map societal ambitions, across a wide range of disciplines, into the concrete steps needed to move forward toward our vision for the future. Click here for details.
