Last Thursday, the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST) hosted a roundtable on technology, law, and democracy, led by visiting professor Harvey Rishikof.
Rishikof, a lawyer with extensive experience in government service, has held roles at the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He has written several publications in the field of cybersecurity and national security law and has held leadership roles in organizations such as the American Bar Association and the Council on Foreign Relations.
During the discussion, Rishikof examined how technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, are reshaping what it means for governments to wield and direct power. Drawing from Mustafa Suleyman’s 2023 New York Times bestseller “The Coming Wave”, Rishikof described AI as a transformative influence in our society on par with the Industrial Revolution or the creation of nuclear weapons.
“Data is the new oil,” Rishikof asserted. “Those zeroes and ones have become what the fight is about.”
He emphasized that while these innovations redefine existing notions of power, there is an urgent need for legal regimes and regulatory frameworks to ensure this power remains in check.
Rishikof demonstrated why this can be a challenge on an organizational level, providing insights into the different laws and governmental departments that influence national cybersecurity. Furthermore, he demonstrated why this is a challenge on an ethical level as well, posing a series of legal and moral dilemmas to the audience regarding emerging technologies.
He presented scenarios across domains such as privacy, intellectual property, liability, and societal impacts, offering context on the current state of regulations within these fields. Questions raised included whether AI-generated work should be patentable, whether altering genomes to create “designer babies” is ethical, and whether facial-recognition drones should be used to target criminals in neighborhoods with high crime rates.
These scenarios encouraged the audience to examine their own values. On the topic of facial recognition drones, some audience members argued that resources should instead address the root causes of crime and invest in community needs. Another debate centered around whether Navy SEALs should be allowed to replace their legs with prosthetics to become “super soldiers.” This led to a broader discussion about whether patient consent is sufficient for procedures that would have far-reaching societal complications.
As technology continues to evolve, Rishikof’s seminar encouraged attendees to critically evaluate how ethical and societal considerations intersect with the regulations that shape technological power. At Carnegie Mellon, an institution with innovation at the heart of its mission, Rishikof reminded the audience of the vital need for broader conversations about power, authority, responsibility, and justice.
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