FaceBook, Face Recognition, Autonomous Things, and the Future of Work
Four focus areas of discussions at the end of 2018 are the initial topics for the SIGAI Policy Blog as we start 2019. The following, with links to resources, are important ongoing subjects for our Policy blogsite in the new year:
FaceBook continues to draw attention to the general issue of data privacy and the role of personal data in business models. Here are some good resources to check:
NY Times on FaceBook Privacy
FaceBook Partners
Spotify
Netflix
Facial recognition software is known to be flawed, having side effects of bias, unwanted surveillance, and other problems. The Safe Face Pledge, developed by the Algorithmic Justice League and Georgetown University Law Center of Privacy & Technology, is an example of emerging efforts to make organizations aware of problems with facial recognition products, for example in autonomous weapons systems and law enforcement agencies. The Safe Face Pledge asks that companies commit to safety in business practices and promote public policy for broad regulation and government oversight on facial recognition applications.
“Autonomous” Things: Degrees of Separation: The R&D for “autonomous” vehicles and other devices that dominate our daily lives pose challenges for technologies as well as for ethics and policy considerations. In 2018, we discussed language that aims at safety and degrees of autonomy rather than having, possibly unattainable, goals of completely autonomous things. A better approach may be to seek the correct balance between technology and humans in hybrid devices and systems. See for example, the Unmanned Integrated Systems Roadmap, 2017-2042 and Ethically Aligned Design.
The Future of Work and Education is a topic that not only tries to predict the workforce of the future, but also how society needs to prepare for it. Many experts believe that our current school systems are not up to the challenge and that industry and government programs are needed for the challenges emerging in just a few years. See, for example, writing by the Ford Foundation and the World Economic Forum.
We welcome your feedback and discussions as we enter the 2019 world of AI and policy!