ethics

When Google CEO Sundar Pichai emailed his workers the company priorities for 2024 this month, developing AI responsibly was top of the list. Some employees now wonder if Google can live up to that goal. The small team that has served as its primary internal AI ethics watchdog has lost its leader and is being restructured, according to four people familiar with the changes. A Google spokesperson says its work will continue in a stronger form going forward, but declines to provide details.Google’s Responsible Innovation…

Convai Earlier this month, I witnessed a digital miracle. In a press briefing ahead of CES, Nvidia showed off a demo for its Ace microservice, an AI suite capable of generating fully voiced AI characters. I watched in awe as a demoist spoke to an in-game NPC through a microphone, only to have the digital character respond in real time. It was a true sci-fi feat, but there was one question: How did it learn to do that? Nvidia gave an ambiguous response, claiming there was “no simple answer.” The statement set off a…

Friar Paolo Benanti wears the plain brown robes of his medieval Franciscan order as he pursues one of the most pressing issues in contemporary times: how to govern artificial intelligence so that it enriches - and doesn't exploit - people's lives. Benanti is the Vatican's go-to person on the technology and he has the ear of Pope Francis as well as some of Silicon Valley's top engineers and executives. Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering CollegeCourseWebsiteIndian School of BusinessISB Digital…

Carl Sagan popularized the maxim that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” This advice should not be optional for policy makers. In today’s world of misinformation, conspiracy driven decision-making and sensationalist-dominated governance, our capacity for rational, evidence-based critical thinking is eroding, with deleterious consequences for our ability to effectively deal with multiplying challenges of ever increasing complexity.As director of the Department of Defense’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution…

Ed Newton-Rex says generative AI has an ethics problem. He ought to know, because he used to be part of the fast-growing industry. Newton-Rex was TikTok’s head AI designer and then an executive at Stability AI until he quit in disgust in November over the company’s stance on collecting training data.After his high-profile departure, Newton-Rex threw himself into conversation after conversation about what building AI ethically would look like in practice. “It struck me that there are a lot of people who want to use…

Political veteran Cynthia McClain-Hill announced Tuesday that she is stepping down as president of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners following ethics-related complaints involving her and growing tensions over the utility’s leadership. McClain-Hill made the announcement at Tuesday’s board meeting, saying it had been a “distinct honor, privilege and pleasure to serve” the public and that she will depart the board. The Times on Friday reported on criticism leveled against McClain-Hill and then-DWP…

In the era of ubiquitous AI, the question of ethical products transcends mere buzzwords. As intelligent algorithms infiltrate every facet of our lives, from shopping recommendations to medical diagnoses, the responsibility to build ethically sound creations rests heavily on developers, policymakers, and users alike. But what exactly does "ethical" mean in this context, and why is it so critical, especially in light of the EU's recent AI Act? Defining Ethical AI Ethical AI embodies a set of principles ensuring fairness,…

LoDoMus Prime and his sidekick Dave roam two downtown Denver parking garages every day, watching people park their cars and rush off to appointments in nearby office buildings. If a person lingers too long, LoDoMus Prime or Dave will start a countdown: “Five, four, three, two, one.” Then the robots call their human security backup. They resemble R2D2 but without the bleeps, boops and squeaks emitted by the famous “Star Wars” droid. The robots went to work in the LoDo Towers’ two garages on 17th Street in October 2022…

Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable research and experiments we didn’t cover on their own. This week in AI, the news cycle finally (finally!) quieted down a bit ahead of the holiday season. But that’s not to suggest there was a dearth to write about, a blessing and a curse for this sleep-deprived reporter. A particular headline from the AP caught my eye this…

Hoffman and others said that there’s no need to pause development of AI. He called that drastic measure, for which some AI researchers have petitioned, foolish and destructive. Hoffman identified himself as a rational “accelerationist”—someone who knows to slow down when driving around a corner but that, presumably, is happy to speed up when the road ahead is clear. “I recommend everyone come join us in the optimist club, not because it's utopia and everything works out just fine, but because it can be part of an amazing…