throwawayP115LG t1_it7pqs3 wrote on October 21, 2022 at 3:17 PM

Reply to [D] Do any major ML research groups focus on policy-making applications? by valdanylchuk

Speaking as an American, and I think this is less true in other countries, but:

The problem with enacting good policy is not fundamentally technocratic—I.e the problem is not that we don’t know how to optimize policies. The problem is political—many forces in society don’t want us to have an efficient tax code, or climate policy, etc. Many powerful political actors want to use the power of the state to enrich themselves, punish out groups, and ensure impunity for their cronies.

Academics in Econ and other disciplines churn out optimized policy suggestions all the time—I see this super frequently in climate literature—and the political system has little will to implement them.

AI for optimal policy is, at least in my country, solving the wrong problem.