January 2021 – AI Matters

OSTP News

OSTP Launches National AI Initiative Office

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office. As outlined in legislation, this Office will serve as the point of contact on Federal AI activities across the interagency, as well as with private sector, academia, and other stakeholders. The Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence will oversee the National AI Initiative Office, and Dr. Lynne E. Parker, Deputy United States Chief Technology Officer, will serve as the Founding Director. As explained in Inside Tech Media, the newly enacted National Defense Authorization Act contains important provisions regarding the development and deployment of AI technologies, many of which build upon previous legislation introduced in the 116th Congress, including the establishment of the National AI Initiative Office.

White House Science Team

On January 15, key members of President-Elect Biden’s were announced. The press release says “These diverse, deeply experienced scientists and experts will play a key role in shaping America’s future — and will prepare us to lead the world in the 21st century and beyond.” President-elect Joe Biden said, “Science will always be at the forefront of my administration — and these world-renowned scientists will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts, and the truth. Their trusted guidance will be essential as we come together to end this pandemic, bring our economy back, and pursue new breakthroughs to improve the quality of life of all Americans.”
He will nominate Dr. Eric Lander (photo) as Director of the OSTP and to serve as the Presidential Science Advisor. “The president-elect is elevating the role of science within the White House, including by designating the Presidential Science Advisor as a member of the Cabinet for the first time in history.”
Other key members are
Alondra Nelson, Ph.D., OSTP Deputy Director for Science and Society (photo)
Frances H. Arnold, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (photo)
Maria Zuber, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (photo)
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health (photo)
Kei Koizumi, OSTP Chief of Staff (photo)
Narda Jones, OSTP Legislative Affairs Director (photo)

Policy-Related Article from AI and Ethics

Stix, C., Maas, M.M. Bridging the gap: the case for an ‘Incompletely Theorized Agreement’ on AI policy. AI Ethics (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-020-00037-w

Big Issues

Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Banks … and Big Tech

A larger discussion is growing out of the recent news about Timnit Gebru and Google. Big Tech is having a huge impact on individuals and society both for the many products and services we enjoy and for the current and potential cases of detrimental effects of unethical behavior or naiveté regarding AI ethics issues. How do we achieve AI ethics responsibility in all organizations, big and small? And, not just in corporations, but governmental and academic research organizations?

Some concerned people focus on regulation, but for a variety of reasons public and community pressure may be quicker and more acceptable. This includes corporations earning reputations for ethical actions in the design and development of AI products and systems. An article in MIT Technology Review by Karen Hao discusses a letter signed by nine members of Congress that “sends an important signal about how regulators will scrutinize tech giants.” Ideally our Public Policy goal is strong AI Ethics national and global communities that self-regulate on AI ethical issues, comparable to other professional disciplines in medical science and cybersecurity. Our AI Ethics community, as guidelines evolve, could provide a supportive and guiding presence in the implementation of ethical norms in the research and development in AI. The idea of a global community is reflected also in a recent speech by European Union President Ursula von der Leyen at the World Leader for Peace and Security Award ceremony. She advocates for transatlantic agreements on AI.

AI Centre of Excellence (AICE)

AICE conducted an inaugural celebration in December, 2020. Director John Kamara founded the AI Centre of Excellence in Kenya and is passionate about creating value and long term impact of AI and ML in Africa. The Centre aims to accomplish this by providing expert training to create skilled and employable AI and ML engineers. The Centre dives into creating sustainable impact through Research and Development. AI research and products are estimated to contribute over $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030. This offers the Centre an opportunity to carry out research in selected sectors and build products based on the research. The world has around 40K AI experts in the world, with nearly half in the US and less than 5% in Africa. Oxford Insights estimates that Kenya ranks first in Africa, and AICE aims to leverage this potential and transform AICE into a full blown Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence. Please keep your eyes on Africa and ways our public policy can assist efforts there to grow AI in emerging education and research.