Toward a Policy Approach to Normative Artificial Intelligence Governance: Implications for AI Ethics Education

There has been a trend among various stakeholders for AI governance, such as the government, industry, and academia, that advocates for a shift from traditional ethics approach to more recent policy-oriented approach. This paper starts by briefly introducing the motivation for such a change. To further help AI ethics researchers ground their discussion about how to operationalize abstract AI ethics into actionable policy, it introduces existing literature about AI policy development efforts with ethics focus. We also discuss the implications of the policy approach to normative AI governance for training the next generation of AI professionals. More specifically, this paper introduces two approaches that AI educators can employ to encourage their students to participate in policy discussions and practical exercises in AI-related courses. The insights derived from this paper hold particular significance for AI professionals, educators, and policymakers aiming to translate general AI ethics principles into operationalizable action items with broader policy implications in the design of AI systems.