Artificial intelligence isn’t a newfangled phrase. From sci-fi movies to IBM’s Deep Blue chess computer, theories surrounding AI have been around since the 1960s. So why has it become such a talking point over the last two years and not when Deep Blue beat the Russian chess master Kasparov in 1997? The answer is in your pocket.

“Normal people are experiencing the abilities of the AI technologies in their day-to-day life,” Arizona State University professor Subbarao Kambhampati said at the inaugural FCC Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Friday. “It’s both the fact that it reached a lot more people and the fact that essentially it helps us to deploy the technology, perceptual technology to each of us that wound up making a big difference in AI becoming so popular right now.”

FCC commish Brendan Carr pointed out the shift from printing out Mapquest directions to using the GPS on your phone or even using apps as dating tools. While these technologies are becoming more widespread, that doesn’t mean it’s time for government to play a major role. FCC chmn Ajit Pai said in his opening remarks that the government should view these technologies with restraint and allow them to develop organically.

Kambhampati commented that while the government should not be regulating what kinds of technologies are developed, the FCC and other agencies have a role to play in ensuring the democratization of access to technologies. The focus should be in supporting good uses of AI and working to mitigate adverse effects by combating data bias, funding research and development and backing educational efforts. Microsoft director, technology policy, Carolyn Nguyen agreed, adding that for the world to harness the true potential of AI, it must be accessible, transparent and inclusive. Microsoft published a book that lays out the six principles it believes will make AI trustworthy, including fairness or lack of bias, inclusiveness and reliability.