The DTD Lab organized a series of three evening events called “Dinner & Democracy” in partnership with the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. The invitees to the event were all Congressional staffers, and each event featured dinner conversation and a panel discussion. Our faculty co-lead Aynne Kokas organized the panels under the topic of “The Past, Present and Future of Technology Policy,” and speakers included DTD faculty co-leads Jess Reia and Mona Sloane.
These three events together provided one specific approach that brought experts to speak directly to the people who have an important opportunity to shape federal policy on technology: congressional staffers. The panels bridged academic research and practice, with a mix of researchers and practitioners thinking about questions around intellectual property and AI. Each of the three events was meant to offer staffers key perspectives on issues they need to consider as they develop technology policy. The first focused on which questions and voices were not included in the shaping of technology policy as it now stands and what accessibility issues still remain, including rural broadband development. The second provided insights into regulatory developments in Brazil, India, and China that our panel argued need to be taken into consideration in U.S. policy. The third focused on future developments in technology (including AI and Cryptocurrency) that legislation will need to address.
There were a total of 174 attendees with a mix of Democrat and Republican staffers from both the House and Senate. DTD faculty and other presenters also made specific connections with staffers interested in particular areas for continued networking and conversation.
Additional programming that contributes to the exchange of Democracy and Technology can be found below.
