General or Sectoral Regulation? Actor Preferences and Policy Integration for Artificial Intelligence

This study examines the question why actors support integrated integrated public policies to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). The article develops a theory that hypothesizes that organizational actors whose role is to provide broad policy expertise are more likely to support the integration of different policy subsystems regarding AI regulation. On the contrary, actors considering AI an important policy issue prefer more sector-specific regulations. To analyze the theory empirically, the article uses original survey data from organizations and individuals involved in AI policy in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S. The findings reveal that actors with a policy-generalist roles such as public interest groups, tend to support policy integration regarding AI. In contrast, policy specialists, such as professional interest groups, exhibit opposition towards policy integration. The data also indicates that issue importance reduces support for policy integration. This research contributes more broadly to the literature by offering a broader understanding of policy specialists and generalists and examining how it links to policy preferences.