Pasadena Panel to Wrestle With AI Regulation as Tech Industry Faces Scrutiny

As artificial intelligence transforms industries at an unprecedented pace, federal regulators and technology leaders are preparing to confront pressing questions about AI oversight at a high-profile panel in Pasadena.

The discussion, “Regulating Innovation: Policy, Privacy and Creator’s Rights,” will bring together senior officials from the Federal Communications Commission and prominent figures from academia and industry on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Scheduled as a featured event during Connect Week 2024’s “Innovation in Action” theme, the panel at ArtCenter College of Design’s Hillside Campus reflects Pasadena’s legacy of both conceiving and deploying innovations.

“We’re approaching [AI regulation] by trying to be transparent,” said Sanford Williams, FCC Deputy Managing Director and Special Advisor to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “AI affects all of us, whether it’s social media, TV, ads in schools, students using ChatGPT… So it’s great to become informed about what it looks like and what the future may bring.”

The timing coincides with FCC initiatives requiring disclosure of AI in political advertising.

“Anytime AI is used in political ads over the airwaves that we control, which is TV and radio,  the ads should indicate that AI was used,” Williams explained.

“I see regulation not necessarily as stopping innovation, but as making sure that it has the highest, most positive potential impact for society,” said Maggie Hendrie, Dean of Media and Technology at ArtCenter.

Hendrie pointed to urgent concerns in creative industries, noting impacts in entertainment filmmaking, photography, graphic arts, “where people are creating unique IP that is being used with or without any form of compensation.”

“We haven’t yet seen creatives included in the Ecosystem [of AI regulation],” Hendrie added, emphasizing that “creative intent lives in human beings, not in computers.”

Todd Terrazas, Co-Founder of AI LA, emphasized mounting concerns about public confidence in AI technology, which will shape the discussion’s broader context.

“Businesses are watching closely, especially as public trust in AI is decreasing globally, making transparency and responsible AI practices more important than ever,” Terrazas said.

The event will feature Bill Gross, Chief Executive Officer of ProRata.ai, alongside Williams, Hendrie, and Terrazas.

Tickets are available at $75 for general admission and $25 for ArtCenter alumni.

Another panel during the week is “Purpose Driven Creative Tech” on Oct. 29. Both of these panels are open to the general public.

For more information, visit https://www.artcenter.edu/connect/dot-magazine/articles/creative-tech-2024.html.

Connect Week 2024, running from Oct. 21 to 27, showcases Pasadena’s role in technological innovation through a series of presentations, workshops, and panel discussions.