As countries around the world expand their use of artificial intelligence (AI), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed the most comprehensive website on AI policy, the OECD.AI Policy Observatory.
Although the website covers public policies on AI, Aaronson found that many governments failed to evaluate or report on their AI initiatives. This lack of reporting is a missed opportunity for policy makers to learn from their programs (the author found that less than one percent of the programs listed on the OECD.AI website had been evaluated).
In addition, Aaronson found discrepancies between what governments said they were doing on the OECD.AI website and what they reported on their own websites. In some cases, there was no evidence of government actions; in other cases, links to government sites did not work. Evaluations of AI policies are important because they help governments demonstrate how they are building trust in both AI and AI governance and that policy makers are accountable to their fellow citizens.
Read More Publications
AI and Trade: The WTO’s Thoughtful but Incomplete Assessment
When the World Trade Organization (WTO) decided in 2024 to produce a report on the trade implications of artificial intelligence (AI), it set out to answer two key questions: How can the WTO help ensure that the benefits of AI are widespread? And, how can the...
Public Concerns About AI Are Getting Lost in Translation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in people’s lives, which has led to growing calls for AI regulation. Although the public has strong opinions on AI, getting policy makers to listen often leads to citizens’ concerns getting “lost...
Do AI Chatbot Firms Practice What They Preach?
This study examines whether leading AI chatbot companies implement the responsible AI principles they publicly advocate. The authors used a mixed-methods approach analyzing four major chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, Deep Seek, and Grok) across company websites, technical...