AI Now Institute

Independent Research Institute A Applications & Practices

Basic Information

  • Name: AI Now Institute
  • Official Website: https://ainowinstitute.org/
  • Founders: Kate Crawford, Meredith Whittaker
  • Established: 2017
  • Former Affiliation: New York University (Independent in 2023)
  • Type: Independent Research Institute
  • Headquarters: New York

Product Description

The AI Now Institute is an independent research institute studying the societal impacts of AI, focusing on how AI systems affect power, labor, rights, and freedoms. Unlike institutions that emphasize technical safety, AI Now prioritizes the social, political, and economic impacts of AI—who benefits from AI, who is harmed, and how policies can ensure the fair use of AI. It became independent from New York University in 2023 and is led by former Google employee Meredith Whittaker.

Core Focus Areas

  • AI and Power Concentration: Research on how AI exacerbates the concentration of power among tech giants
  • AI and Labor: The impact of AI on work and workers' rights
  • AI and Civil Rights: The role of AI in law enforcement, surveillance, and discrimination
  • AI and Inequality: How AI exacerbates or mitigates social inequality
  • AI Governance: Policy and regulatory recommendations

Research Directions

  • Analysis of corporate AI power centralization
  • Social impacts of AI surveillance and facial recognition
  • Effects of algorithmic management on workers
  • Bias in AI within criminal justice
  • Environmental and social costs of large AI models
  • Militarization of AI applications

Annual Reports

  • AI Now publishes influential annual reports
  • Analyzes AI industry trends and societal impacts
  • Proposes policy recommendations
  • Widely cited in academic and policy discussions

Key Positions

  • Criticizes the inadequacy of self-regulation in the AI industry
  • Advocates for strong government oversight
  • Focuses on the disproportionate impact of AI on marginalized groups
  • Questions power imbalances in the "AI for Good" narrative
  • Opposes unregulated use of AI in high-risk scenarios

Leadership

  • Meredith Whittaker: Co-founder, current president, President of Signal Foundation
  • Kate Crawford: Co-founder, author of *Atlas of AI*

Business Model

  • Independent nonprofit research institute
  • Foundation funding
  • Revenue from publications and speaking engagements
  • Consulting and policy advisory services

Relationship with OpenClaw

AI Now's research reminds the OpenClaw team to consider the societal impacts of AI agents—including effects on the labor market, potential misuse scenarios, and power imbalances. OpenClaw's open-source and decentralized design is itself a response to the centralization of AI power.

Sources

External References

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