At last month’s USACM Panel at the National Press Club (reported in the AI Matters policy blog last time), I had the opportunity to talk with one of the panelists Dr. Ansgar Koene, Senior Research Fellow: UnBias, CaSMa & Horizon Policy Impact. Ansgar is at the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute, University of Nottingham, and he is the working group chair for IEEE Standard on Algorithm Bias Considerations. Be sure to see Ansgar’s article about the ‘AI gaydar’ in Conversation: https://theconversation.com/machine-gaydar-ai-is-reinforcing-stereotypes-that-liberal-societies-are-trying-to-get-rid-of-83837.
Following the USACM Panel at the National Press Club, attendees discussed ways to bring together the voices of ACM and IEEE on Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability. One opportunity is at RightsCon Toronto: May 16-18, 2018. The call for proposals mentions “Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Algorithmic Accountability” as one of their program “buckets”. RightsCon is accepting proposals for presentations until November 24, 2017. Sessions will have 16 program buckets, which cover topics including Digital Security and Encryption, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Algorithmic Accountability to Misinformation, Journalism, and the Future of Online Media.
A new initiative is Local Champions at RightsCon Toronto, which features leading voices in Canada’s digital rights landscape. They plan to support thought leadership, program guidance, and topic identification to ensure that the most pressing issues are represented at RightsCon.
Dr. Koene also shared information about the IEEE P7001 Working Group on the IEEE Standard on Transparency of Autonomous Systems http://sites.ieee.org/sagroups-7001/. This working group is chaired by Prof. Alan Winfield who is also very interested in the idea of data recorders, like airplane ‘black boxes’, to provide insight into behavior of autonomous vehicles for accident investigation. http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~a-winfield/
Please share additional opportunities for SIGAI members to join with other groups working on issues in algorithmic transparency and accountability. We welcome also your comments on the many AI applications and technologies that should be included in our focus on public policy.