The Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab, based at the University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, today released the findings from two national Community Forums on the evolving expectations around privacy and governance of AI-powered wearable devices. In collaboration with Meta, the forum engaged a representative sample of 550 participants — 300 from the United States and 250 from India — to solicit people's perspectives on user controls and societal expectations. The Community Forums were conducted as national Deliberative Polls.

As AI wearables see rapid adoption worldwide, understanding public attitudes can help to ensure these technologies are developed and deployed responsibly. Three key themes emerged from the forum. Participants in both the U.S. and India indicated the highest levels of support for users having controls over when their wearables passively process environments and actively capture data. U.S. participants consistently favored individual agency over how wearables are used, both in public and private settings, whereas in India, there was a slight preference for governments to decide wearable usage rules in public spaces. Additionally, U.S. participants supported workplaces and schools having the primary authority to decide how AI-powered wearables should be used in those environments, while Indian participants also saw a significant role for governments in these settings.

The forum also revealed important nuances in public perspectives. For example, participants expressed a preference for AI wearables that are tailored to cultural and regional contexts, rather than standardized global designs. There was also broad support for AI agents capable of responding to emotional cues, underscoring the public's desire for personalized, human-centric wearable experiences.

"This global forum provided invaluable insights into how the public's expectations around privacy and governance of wearable AI are evolving," said Alice Siu, Associate Director of the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab. "The findings will be essential for policymakers, technology companies, and other stakeholders as they work to ensure these powerful technologies empower users while respecting fundamental rights."

The story of Silicon Valley is one of perpetual reinvention and innovation. During the Cold War, farmlands that had grown produce transformed into research facilities where major breakthroughs in aerospace, defense, and data processing were made. With support from  the U.S. government, technologies like GPS, Google, Siri, would grow.

This ecosystem of innovation continues to evolve today. While public sector programs continue to lead in areas such as nuclear weapons research and classified defense technologies, private companies and startups are increasingly outpacing government labs in critical technology areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, energy systems, and space launch. 

With so much economic, defense, and societal potential built into these technologies, creating effective partnerships between private companies and government is more important than ever.

In “Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government,” Stanford students, and now the public, have a front row seat to hear how these collaborations took root. First launched by Ernestine Fu Mak in 2016 as small, closed-door sessions, the series has expanded into a class where students and the public alike can hear directly from technology experts, business executives, and public service leaders about the past, present, and future of how their industries overlap.

“When national missions generated in Washington meet the ingenuity and drive resident in our nation’s premier hub of innovation, world changing technological breakthroughs follow,” says Joe Felter, a lecturer and director of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, which is based at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. “The Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government series exposes students in real time to how this partnership and collaboration continues to help us meet national security and other critical emerging challenges.”

The course is offered through the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program, and co-led by Mak, Steve Blank, Joe Felter, and Eric Volmar, with ongoing support from Steve Bowsher. All of the seminars are available via the playlist below, with more being released throughout fall quarter.

In an exciting development, the Industry-Wide Deliberative Forum convened by Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab is announcing the addition of two new companies — DoorDash and Microsoft — joining the group of technology companies Cohere, Meta, Oracle, and PayPal, advised by the Collective Intelligence Project in a collaborative effort to engage the public in shaping the future of AI agents. 

There is a gap between the development of technology, particularly AI, and the public's understanding of these advancements. This Forum is answering the question: what if the public could be more than just passive users of these technologies, but instead take an active role in shaping their progress? This growing group of technology companies is excited to engage in a collaborative approach to consulting the public on these complex issues. 

The inclusion of DoorDash and Microsoft speaks to the importance of this Forum and of engaging the public on the future of AI agents. "We believe the future of AI agents must be shaped thoughtfully, with meaningful public input. This forum provides an important platform to elevate diverse voices and guide the responsible development of AI that all businesses can benefit from,” said Chris Roberts, Director of Community Policy and Safety, at DoorDash. 

“We’re proud to support and participate in this effort.”

The Industry-Wide Deliberative Forum is set to take place in Fall 2025 and will be conducted on the AI-assisted Stanford Online Deliberation Platform. This Forum is rooted in deliberation, which involves bringing together representative samples of the public, presenting them with options and their associated tradeoffs, and encouraging them to reflect on both this education and their personal experiences. Research has shown that deliberative methods yield more thoughtful feedback for decision-makers, as individuals must consider the complexities of the issues at hand, rather than simply top-of-mind reactions.

“Microsoft is excited to join this cross-industry collaborative effort to better understand public perspectives on how to build the next generation of trustworthy AI systems,” Amanda Craig, Senior Director of Public Policy, Office of Responsible AI, Microsoft. 

The collaboration encourages thoughtful feedback rather than reactive opinions, ensuring that the public’s perspective is both informed and actionable. “Welcoming DoorDash and Microsoft to our collaborative table is an excellent opportunity to broaden the impact of our work,” said James Fishkin, Director of Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab. “This expansion embodies a shared commitment to collectively shaping our future with AI through public consultations that are both representative and thoughtful.”

Media Contact: Alice Siu, Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab