ADAPT Radio

AI Policies To Prevent Inequality

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As AI continues to shape our society, how can we make sure that it doesn't harm minority groups or exacerbate inequalities? Today we hear from two experts who are a part of a brand new research group that is working to keep AI accountable. The AI Accountability Lab focuses on critical issues across broad topics such as the examination of opaque technological ecologies and the execution of audits on specific models and training datasets. We hear how researchers are trying to join the dots between evidence and policy and how better AI awareness is key to preventing harm. Our guests today are leading the way in AI accountability. Dr Abeba Birhane is a cognitive scientist and Research Fellow in the ADAPT Research Centre Ireland, and Dr Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management at Delft University of Technology focusing on Sociotechnical AI Systems. THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT ● The AI Accountability Lab ● How AI has potential to entrench inequality in society ● Joining the dots between AI research and policies ● Addressing misrepresented concepts in AI training models ● Awareness of AI inaccuracy even with perfect data models GUEST DETAILS Dr Abeba Birhane is a cognitive scientist researching human behaviour, social systems, and responsible and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI). Abeba recently finished her PhD, where she explored the challenges and pitfalls of automating human behaviour through critical examination of existing computational models and audits of large scale datasets. Abeba is currently a Senior Fellow in Trustworthy AI at Mozilla Foundation. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. https://abebabirhane.com/ Dr Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management at Delft University of Technology focusing on Sociotechnical AI Systems. He received a MSc in Systems & Control from Delft (2010) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from UC Berkeley (2018), where he received the Demetri Angelakos Memorial Achievement Award. He was an inaugural postdoc at the AI Now Institute and New York University. His research addresses the integration and implications of algorithmic technologies in societal infrastructure and democratic institutions, focusing on issues related to safety, sustainability and justice. Roel’s system-theoretic lens enables addressing the sociotechnical and political nature of algorithmic and artificial intelligence systems across analysis, engineering design and governance, with an aim to empower domain experts and affected communities. His results have informed various policy initiatives, including environmental assessments in the European AI Act as well as the development of the algorithm watchdog in The Netherlands. https://www.tudelft.nl/staff/r.i.j.dobbe/ MORE INFORMATION Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ KEYWORDS #AI #accountability #transparency #public #policies #data #auditing #bias