As you read this, a future that features driverless cars on city streets, interstate highways and maybe in your driveway is steadily unfolding. But before this future fully arrives, policymakers need to think hard about how to properly regulate these new technologies. Regulations, after all, are powerful and often blunt tools — they can be used to foster innovation, competition and economic growth, and they can be used to prevent change, snuff out invention and slow technological advances. The predicted benefits of autonomous vehicles to society are large and widespread, and Michigan needs to be ensure that its residents can take full advantage of these upsides.

A transcript of this event is available here.

This event will feature a panel of speakers who will each discuss an important element of creating smart regulations to support the future autonomous vehicle revolution.

Dan Crane is Associate Dean for Faculty and Research and the Frederick Paul Furth, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. Professor Crane has been a leading advocate for the right of an automobile manufacturer to distribute its vehicles directly to consumers.
 

Caleb Watney is a technology policy associate at the R Street Institute, where he manages the institute’s Technology Policy Working Group. He studies emerging technologies, including autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, drones, robotics and medical tech.
 

Dan Mahaffee is senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, which published a report about autonomous vehicle regulations based on roundtable discussions with government and private sector representatives.
 

Lunch is free and is included with reservations. Please register online here. 

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us at 989-698-1905 or events@mackinac.org.