The rule of law is the bedrock of a flourishing society, and is essential for the promotion of our fundamental rights and freedoms, democratic foundations, social justice, and economic development—now and in the future. As a principle, the rule of law demands a set of clear, fair, and consistent laws, promulgated through a transparent and democratic process. These laws must be applied equally to all individuals and organizations, and enforced impartially by an independent judiciary.

At TFS, we want to ensure that the rule of law continues to be protected and upheld in a period where AI advancements increasingly transform our world as we know it. We are concerned that the pace at which advanced AI systems are being developed and deployed is outpacing the societal processes required to establish and enforce laws, regulations, and norms around their use. We believe that without adequate governance and oversight, there is a risk that AI advancement will weaken the rule of law and broadly outstrip our ability to establish justice.

Through our convening and advocacy work, we aim to ensure that the research, development, and deployment of advanced AI is conducted in accordance with legal frameworks and normative principles. We acknowledge that, due to the transformative nature of AI systems, some of these legal frameworks and principles need to be updated, and new ones will need to be implemented. Hence, we also seek to ensure that policymakers possess the capacity needed to preempt and respond to technological advancements judiciously. This requires coordination amongst regulators, developers, and deployers, and the implementation of robust mechanisms for measuring and monitoring AI systems. Finally, we realize that laws are only effective if they are consistently and impartially enforced; as such, a critical element of our work involves seeking to understand and promote enforcement tools for current and future laws pertaining to AI systems.

Our work in this theme includes our flagship forum, The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law, which promotes dialogue and coordination across developers and deployers of advanced AI, policymakers, and legal and judicial actors. Additionally, beginning in 2023, we are strengthening our policy engagement efforts in the U.S., in hopes to help build the capacity of the U.S. Government, on both federal and state levels, to effectively govern advanced AI systems. In doing so, we plan to continue to promote coordination between regulators and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic.