Making certain the trustworthiness of AI has emerged as one of many greatest challenges within the adoption of AI programs. Overcoming this problem would require the steering of skilled AI leaders, individuals corresponding to Reggie Townsend, who’s the vice chairman of ethics at SAS and a 2023 Datanami Individual to Watch.
We just lately caught up with Townsend to debate his work in trusthworthy and accountable AI. Right here’s what he needed to say:
Datanami:Â The roaring success of ChatGPT has given tens of millions of individuals an introduction to conversational AI know-how. From an moral consideration, what ought to customers pay attention to after they work together with conversational AI?
Reggie Townsend: It’s undoubtedly a web constructive that extra individuals are being launched and changing into acquainted with generative AI. Nonetheless, there stays a necessity to acknowledge and recognize the truth that the information used to coach ChatGPT nonetheless comes from people. The outcomes of generative AI, at their core, are a mirrored image of us, people. There’s nonetheless an inherent threat that these fashions might be knowledgeable by inaccurate knowledge, misinformation or biases. It stays crucial that customers proceed to use vital pondering every time interacting with conversational AI and keep away from automation bias — the assumption {that a} technical system is extra prone to be correct and true than a human.
Datanami: Do you suppose the information and company communities are spending sufficient time and power on assessing the moral implications of AI? If not, what’s going to it take to spur us to take AI ethics significantly?
Townsend: Moral AI growth is incentivized in a couple of means — from a authorized perspective, corporations wish to stay compliant and viable, so they’re taking a look at exercise world wide on creating AI laws to remain forward of upcoming steering. However moral AI can also be good for profitability, as any overreaches into privateness or potential for discrimination could cause severe monetary and reputational injury to an organization. When you can by no means spend an excessive amount of power on accountable AI growth, innovators on this house proceed to be guided by rising requirements and consciousness of penalties.
Datanami: Please inform us about your position with the Nationwide Synthetic Intelligence Advisory Committee. What types of questions or issues is the committee trying into?
Townsend: My position together with the 26 different committee members, is to offer the federal government with enter and perception into 5 major areas of concern: Bias, AI Analysis and Growth, Worldwide Growth, Workforce Readiness, and Authorities AI Deployment.
I at present sit on two subcommittees: The primary is for Workforce Readiness, the place we’re targeted on what is critical for the citizenry to inherit a digital financial system pushed by AI, creating a set of suggestions to launch this 12 months. The second subcommittee focuses on Authorities AI Deployment, the place we’ll be making suggestions for the way the federal government can use AI to the good thing about residents.
Datanami: Exterior of the skilled sphere, what are you able to share about your self that your colleagues may be stunned to be taught – any distinctive hobbies or tales?
Townsend: I’ve been concerned in improv comedy for nearly eight years now. I obtained into improv within the first place to pressure myself to be a extra rapid and responsive communicator. It turned out I wasn’t half unhealthy, so I used to be invited to take part with a group, and we’ve been doing native exhibits in Chicago for years. It’s an opportunity to not be so severe, and likewise helped me uncover and develop methods that additionally apply to my skilled life, like studying to affirm others whereas stating what you imagine to be true, and permitting me to deliver a few of my humor and character into my public talking.
You may learn the remainder of the interviews with the 2023 Individuals to Watch right here.
