Greedy Algorithms, Public Goods: Rethinking AI Regulation and Education

Institute Associate Professor Julia Stoyanovich, director of NYU Tandon’s Center for Responsible AI, argues that AI should be treated as a public question, not just a product, calling for democratic guardrails and for teaching responsible AI as a civic skill across classrooms, libraries, and homes. She is a leader of the New York AI Exchange, which she describes as a networked, community-centered forum that brings together educators, technologists, policymakers, and citizens to share experiences and shape how AI is taught and governed. “No matter how smart or well-meaning… we really cannot take it upon ourselves to decide how these systems should operate… That’s not our choice. It’s everybody’s.”