New questions surrounding artificial intelligence emerge daily: What is AI? Should states be regulating it? How can AI help people? Often, fears about AI emerge from the rapidly progressing nature of the technology and fear of the unknown. While AI itself is always changing and advancing, there are guiding principles that will help citizens and lawmakers take full advantage of this new technology as it develops.

The Pelican Institute’s AI Toolkit is a primer on how citizens and policymakers can encourage responsible AI innovation. It’s intended to serve as a guide to navigating the landscape of tech with confidence.

The toolkit addresses the rich history and definition of artificial intelligence as well as some common questions and concerns. This background gives context to the approach that lawmakers can take in order to help their states access the benefits of AI: leverage current laws instead of adding redundant ones, take an information gathering approach in order to best understand the fears and needs that might arise, and celebrate the free market’s ability to provide both accountability and encouragement to innovators.

The documents also offer resources from trusted partners to assist in learning more about artificial intelligence on the state and national level.

Pelican has provided one pagers that other organizations across the country can use to offer the same to their citizens and policymakers.