Talking Tech in D.C.

Penn Washington Summer Interns, Sarah Shahed and Alisa Shapiro, Reflect on the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy’s Summer Intern Event

In June, we had the opportunity to attend a Tech Law and Policy Summer Intern Lunch hosted by the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy. The event was held in collaboration with various tech policy-focused organizations, including COMPASS, a program of the University of Pennsylvania’s Media Inequality and Change Center. 

Our first stop at the event was greeting and meeting a lively group of interns visiting D.C. from across the United States and all over the world. After taking time to get to know each other’s education levels, offices, and home states in an informal setting, Natalie Roisman – Penn Law alumna and the Executive Director of Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy – gave remarks, spotlighting the co-host organizations to speak more on how students can get involved in technology advocacy work. 

Our next stop was to split up into pre-assigned groups, where we were provided discussion prompts that generated discourse on central technology and AI issues. Because of the diversity in backgrounds and real-world experiences, attendees connected over a common interest in getting involved with the ever-evolving world of technology law and policy while learning from different perspectives. 

Sarah’s Insight:

My group included a former high school teacher and a current law student. The former teacher highlighted some of the most significant challenges associated with AI in academia and in the legal profession, namely the proliferation of students using AI to complete assignments and clients who were convinced ChatGPT was providing them with more accurate legal advice than she could. Having recently learned more about the increasing use of AI in employment opportunities, I suggested that higher education and other institutions need to learn to incorporate a standard of educational competency of AI in their curriculum, including the ability to critically think about the information AI is generating. This exchange raised a question that we couldn’t find a definitive answer for – How can we prepare students to navigate the growth of AI with employment while not encouraging them to mindlessly rely on it?

Alisa’s Insight:

My group consisted mostly of students, ranging from undergraduates to law students, to PhD candidates. When introducing ourselves to the group, we shared what motivated us to engage with technology policy. I shared with the group that throughout my first few weeks at Penn Washington, I noticed a common theme surrounding nearly every conversation on evolving technology: a gap in AI governance. The group met this statement with murmurs of agreement; and it became clear that regulatory frameworks are not keeping up with technological progress. For students entering the workforce, this gap is a source of concern, but the implications extend far beyond a disrupted job market – surfacing across topics ranging from defense policy to education, to environmental impact. As we begin to tackle balancing regulation with adaptability, the responsibility of shaping what comes next fall’s heavily on our generation. Gatherings like this one are where that work begins.

It is questions like these that underlie the AI and technology priorities Penn Washington works on. Technology policy remains prominent in both the domestic and global policy programs, taking shape in the growing importance of developing U.S. policy that meets the concerns about fast-moving AI innovation while maintaining U.S. global leadership. While attendees had varying opinions on whether AI growth will have a positive or negative impact on our country, especially on young people, there was overall agreement that regulation needs to meet that challenge headfirst. The discussion on technology issues gave us more to think about, and it was the advice from professionals and current law students that left the greatest impact.  

One of the biggest takeaways was reflected in Natalie Roisman’s remarks highlighting the importance of connecting with younger students as a senior leader in the field to gain new perspectives within her work. In a quickly changing field like technology, it is even more important to engage dynamically with new ideas. We saw her put this into practice as she herself interacted with students, providing advice and guidance, while having a genuine interest in learning more about each intern’s story. We had the chance to talk with her one on one, exchanging perspectives on Penn and career aspirations while witnessing her passion and hospitality firsthand.

Alongside the valuable resume-building skills that our internship has provided, working in Washington D.C. provides unique opportunities to engage with peers and professionals who can impact your worldview, providing perspectives stemming from backgrounds and experiences that you might never have considered. While interns can learn a lot from writing a memo on a congressional hearing, starting a conversation with someone new can teach us just as much.