Preliminary Program
Friday, September 13, 2024
8:30 – 9:00am: Breakfast – Baxter Lecture Hall, Mezzanine
9:00 – 9:15am: Opening remarks and welcome
Workshop logistics - Michael Alvarez, Beatrice Magistro, Sophie Borwein, Bart Bonikowski, and Peter Loewen
9:15 – 10:45am: Panel 1: The Distributional Effects of Generative AI – Chair, Sophie Borwein
Paper 1: 9:15 – 09:40am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 09:40 – 10:05am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 3: 10:05 – 10:30am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 10:30 – 10:45am
10:45am – 11:00 am: Coffee Break
11:00am – 12:30 pm: Panel 2: AI and Elections – Chair, Michael Alvarez
Paper 1: 11:00 – 11:25am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 11:25 – 11:50am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 3: 11:50 – 12:15pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 12:15 – 12:30pm
12:30 – 2:00pm: Lunch (Baxter North Patio)
2:00 – 3:00pm: Panel 3: Technological Change, Populism and Politics – Chair, Beatrice Magistro
Paper 1: 2:00 – 2:25pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 2:25 – 2:50pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 2:50 – 3:00pm
3:00 – 3:15pm: Coffee Break
3:15 – 4:45pm: Panel 3: Technological Change, Populism and Politics – Chair, Beatrice Magistro
Paper 3: 3:15 – 3:40pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 4: 3:40 – 4:05pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 5: 4:05 – 4:30pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 4:30 – 4:45pm
5:00-6:30pm: Poster Session and drinks at The Athenaeum, East Patio
6:30-9:00pm: Dinner for invited speakers and guests at The Athenaeum, Main Lounge
Saturday, September 14, 2024
8:30 – 9:00am: Breakfast – Baxter Lecture Hall, Mezzanine
9:15 – 10:45am: Panel 4: Public Opinion on AI Regulation – Chair, Bart Bonikowski
Paper 1: 9:15 – 09:40am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 09:40 – 10:05am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 3: 10:05 – 10:30am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 10:30 – 10:45am
10:45am – 11:00 am: Coffee Break
11:00am – 12:30pm: Panel 5: The Economic and Political Effects of LLMs – Chair, Michael Alvarez
Paper 1: 11:00 – 11:25am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 11:25 – 11:50am (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 3: 11:50am – 12:15pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 12:15 – 12:30pm
12:30 – 1:30pm: Lunch (Baxter North Patio)
1:30 – 3:00pm: Panel 6: AI and Threats to Democracy – Chair, Peter Loewen
Paper 1: 1:30 – 1:55pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 2: 1:55 – 2:20pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 3: 2:20 – 2:45pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 2:45 – 3:00pm
3:00 – 3:15pm: Coffee Break
3:15 – 4:15pm: Panel 6: AI and Threats to Democracy – Chair, Peter Loewen
Paper 4: 3:15 – 3:40pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
Paper 5: 3:40 – 4:05pm (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) – TBD
General Q&A: 4:05 – 4:15pm
4:15 – 4:30pm: Closing remarks
Confirmed speakers:
Charles Boix, Princeton University
Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, University of Chicago
Italo Colantone, Bocconi University
Aina Gallego, University of Barcelona
Yotam Margalit, Tel Aviv University
Victor Menaldo, University of Washington
Stephen Weymouth, Georgetown University
Nicole Wu, University of Toronto
Baobao Zhang, Syracuse University
Workshop Organizers: R. Michael Alvarez (Caltech), Bart Bonikowski (NYU), Sophie Borwein (UBC), Peter Loewen (University of Toronto), and Beatrice Magistro (Caltech)
For more information, please contact Sabrina Hameister by phone at 626-395-4228 or by email at csspp@hss.caltech.edu.
Among social scientists, it is widely accepted that technological advancements typically boost productivity, offering widespread benefits. Yet, these innovations often bring about distributional effects. From the 1980s onwards, the rise of automation and new technologies has notably widened income inequality. This shift has favored high-skilled labor by enhancing productivity, while simultaneously marginalizing less-skilled workers. The emergence of generative AI technologies, including advanced tools like ChatGPT, presents fresh challenges and considerations for labor markets. These technologies, capable of executing complex, cognitive tasks across fields such as software development, writing, marketing, and design, represent a significant departure from previous technologies that mainly automated routine tasks. As a result, there is widespread uncertainty about who will benefit and lose from these new AI technologies compared to older ones. Despite this uncertainty, the rapid adoption of these technologies by both workers and firms is undeniable. While politicians have to date had little to say about the distributive consequences of automation and artificial intelligence, it will become increasingly untenable for politicians to ignore their political implications as these technologies fundamentally reshape workplaces.
In light of these developments, our conference seeks to explore a range of questions to better understand the broader implications of this new wave of AI on society and politics.
Registration will open August 1st.
Navigating the New Frontier: The Political and Economic Implications of AI
Baxter Lecture Hall
California Institute of TechnologySeptember 13-14, 2024
