On Friday, June 2nd, the UCR School of Public Policy held a debate on the question: “Should the Government Limit the Use of Existing Works of Art by AI Algorithms?”

Two UC Riverside students debated the pros and cons of art generated by Artifical Intelligence (AI) algorithms. The debaters were:

Cooper Proulx, Mechanical Engineering Student and Chief of Staff of the Associated Students of UCR Office of the President
Rachel Strausman, Public Policy Student and Public Affairs Student Assistant of the UCR School of Public Policy

The distinguished guest judge, Mark Long, the new Dean of the UCR School of Public Policy,  provided feedback on the debate and the topic as a whole. Dean Long has a background in art, with a B.A. in Studio Art from DePaul University.

“I am immensely proud of Rachel and Cooper for their outstanding efforts in researching, practicing, and performing in the debate. They tackled what is amounting to be one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to shape policy and practice around AI,” said Derek Pedigo, the student debate coach. “Listening to expert-level conversation from fellow students about how to balance innovation while protecting our future and prosperity was nothing short of impressive, and I hope to see more events like this in the future.”

You can watch a recording of the debate below: