What the Field of Archaeology Can Teach Us About Responsible AI

“Forget everything you think you know about the ancient Minoan culture,” the historian said to me at the palace gates. The story she told me on that hot, dusty day in July has since been pressing on me, like a constant drumbeat -- a reminder of why our work in Responsible AI is so so unrestricted in importance by just the demands of the here and now. Let us take you on a journey so that you can understand the very direct correlation between what archaeology can teach us about our high tech field.

Parenting 101: How to train an AI System to DO GOOD

In this article, we propose to put those pattern recognizing neo-cortexes to work and make them discover the pattern to get the reward. When considering the development of an AI that is meant to mine insights on human behaviors (and then possibly make decisions based on those insights), there is one really critical ‘Parenting 101’ lesson to consider. Incentivize the behaviors you want to see more of in three steps: Replicate what works, MEASURE and REPEAT.

Phaedra Boinodiris, Beth Rudden, Joahna KuiperPhaedra BoinodirisMay 18, 2021Comment

Pop Culture, AI And Ethics

I am a major sci fi fan. Well, at least I thought I was until I went to my first Star Trek convention in my 20s and realized that I was in the minority of people who did not speak Klingon or know episode numbers, titles or dates. Science fiction inspires technologists every day. Most recently, I have become inspired by Black Mirror, a show originally aired by the BBC and now offered on Netflix. The brainchild of Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror is the Twilight Zone for our times, giving us a glimpse as to how technology trajectories can be used to affect society in unintended ways in the coming decades.

Phaedra BoinodirisPhaedra BoinodirisMay 14, 2021popculture, AI, ethicsComment

5 steps to creating a responsible AI Center of Excellence

To practice trustworthy or responsible AI (AI that is truly fair, explainable, accountable, and robust), a number of organizations are creating in-house centers of excellence. These are groups of trustworthy AI stewards from across the business that can understand, anticipate, and mitigate any potential problems. The intent is not to necessarily create subject matter experts but rather a pool of ambassadors who act as point people.

Phaedra BoinodirisPhaedra BoinodirisMarch 23, 2021Comment

Mitigating the risks of Intelligent Automation: Bias, worker displacement and more

Intelligent automation offers much promise to companies to drive efficiencies but it is not the panacea. By adopting a responsible framework for the deployment of such systems, companies can ensure that they are not inadvertently causing individual or societal or indeed economic harm to their business.

Combating Toxicity in Online Games

AI holds great promise in the ability to stem online toxic behavior from within games, but there are complications that can be daunting. By tackling the three pillars of Culture, Forensic Technology, and Governance Standards, a game publisher can use AI to help their community managers create safe environments that also balances free speech factors.

Phaedra BoinodirisPhaedra BoinodirisSeptember 15, 2020gaming, bias, cyber-bullyingComment

Data Science: Earning Trust in Public Policy

As states, counties, and cities around the country struggle to find ways to combat COVID, a holistic approach is required to ensure that all communities are being properly monitored for the spread of the disease and that data that is being used to inform public policy is timely, relevant and maintains the privacy of people. This article details how Data Science, Education, and extreme collaboration should be used together as part of this holistic approach to create better and more trusted public policy for all.

Phaedra Boinodiris, editorialPhaedra BoinodirisJune 15, 2020COVID-19, public policy, data science, Phaedra BoinodirisComment

Can AI Enhance Meritocracy within the Workplace?

HR organizations are increasingly turning to AI as a means to identify and rate candidates for employment and promotion. There has understandably been a backlash as oftentimes companies bake discriminatory signals into their algorithms, without even realizing it. Many negative articles have been published about the pseudo-science of facial scanning algorithms to determine job match-worthiness. Obviously, it is critically important that..

Phaedra BoinodirisPhaedra BoinodirisApril 28, 2020AI, article, meritocracy, workplaceComment

Editorial