The Office of Technology (OT) recently shared a series of research questions, highlighting their commitment to exploring complex technological issues. These questions draw inspiration from the tradition in mathematics of identifying fundamental challenges that serve as benchmarks for progress, as noted by mathematician Paul Erdős.
Among these inquiries is the well-known Traveling Salesman Problem, which poses a significant challenge in computational theory. This problem asks for the shortest route that visits each city once and returns to the origin. While computers can find specific solutions, the problem becomes increasingly difficult with more cities. In 1972, Richard Karp demonstrated that this problem is inherently complex and lacks a straightforward solution.
Despite Karp's findings, OT sees potential in addressing such intricate problems through targeted approaches and innovation. They emphasize that resources and creativity can help tackle manageable challenges by anticipating impacts of emerging technologies and prioritizing technical expertise.
The OT has introduced new questions relevant to researchers, civil society organizations, practitioners, and consumers concerning technological issues affecting society. These questions aim to understand how upstream actions can prevent downstream harms despite global uncertainties.
The agency clarifies that these questions do not reflect any official stance or request for submissions. Instead, they are intended to foster learning about these topics through diverse sources of information and methodologies.
Highlighted areas of interest include:
- AI and Competition: Examining how firms might leverage access to large datasets for AI model training, its impact on competition and consumer protection, determining high-quality data for AI training, partnerships in the AI marketplace, and bundling products with AI offerings.
- AI Procurement: Investigating how procurement contracts can promote pro-competitive practices and how design decisions affect market entrants' ability to interoperate with existing products.
- Commercial Surveillance & Data Privacy: Exploring new forms of commercial surveillance beyond traditional methods and examining companies' tracking practices.
- Tech Investors: Analyzing investor incentives in technology markets concerning consolidation and supporting early-stage companies.
- Hardware & Manufacturing: Assessing market dynamics impacting domestic supply chains for critical infrastructure like servers and chips.
- Building Digital Capacity: Considering ways regulatory environments can attract technical talent to evaluate technology products effectively.
These discussions are part of OT's effort to address pressing technological concerns while encouraging innovative solutions across various sectors.
