FCC Convening AI Forum

In the "you can't spell Pai without AI department," FCC chair Ajit Pai has scheduled a Nov.30 forum on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies.

The event, which will be held at the FCC's Washington headquarters and be open to the public, will include hands-on demos of the technology as well as experts to discuss its implications for the communications marketplace and policy.

"Because so much of AI intersects with the Commission’s technological and engineering work," said Pai, "we want to explore what it means for the future of communications. I look forward to bringing in experts to discuss this important issue, so that the FCC and the American public can learn about what’s on the horizon.”

The chairman has already seen, and recognized, the technologies' potential for helping communications accessibility.

Among the FCC's Chairman's Awards for Advancements in Accessibility in 2018 was one for IBM's Content Clarifier, which uses uses "artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, machine learning models, and natural language processing to simplify, summarize, and augment digital content to increase comprehension for people with cognitive disabilities, the aging population, or those learning English as a second language."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.