Ethics Lab Kicks Off 'Ethics in AI' Workshops
Participants at the March 6 workshop. (Katherine Arcement)
AI is changing the world, and future government leaders working with AI need ethics. That’s why Ethics Lab and Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) have launched a workshop series for providing training and engagement around ethical issues in AI development to future government leaders.
The workshop series is built around artificial intelligence (AI) and ethics, and is being presented to a cohort from three nationally-recognized fellowship programs: Fellows from CSET, the federal government’s Tech Congress, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). These three programs provide training and embedded experiences aimed at government careers in tech policy.
The first workshop, which took place on March 6, was on how we can make AI systems more just. Future workshops will include how AI can be used to protect national security, and protecting human rights in the age of AI-driven surveillance technologies. The team’s aim is to provide training and embedded experience to increase each participant’s knowledge base for government careers in technology policy.
Participants at the March 6 workshop. (Katherine Arcement)
“This workshop series is for people who are going on in careers to develop and guide government policies and deployment responses to AI, from defense to consumer protection,” said Dr. Maggie Little, Director of Ethics Lab.
The series is funded by the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN). PIT-UN is a partnership of 21 colleges and universities convening thanks to the Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and New America.
"I'm grateful that the PIT-UN grant supports this collaboration,” said Dr. Jason Matheny, Director of CSET. “The workshops led by the Ethics Lab provide a unique opportunity for future policymakers to analyze some of the ethical dilemmas created by AI."
The March 6 workshop was designed to help participants answer questions about AI systems and drive home the point that AI systems are opinions embedded in math. Beginning with a talk by Dr. Elizabeth Edenberg on AI and justice, the team then led multiple small group discussions around a case study, encouraging participants to consider how AI can lead to bias in hiring. The team had also designed the case study to feature information from real-world offerings. The workshop ended with a quick ‘zoom out’ to help participants consider the broader social context of AI systems.
The full cohort will reconvene for the next workshop and is looking forward to deepening the discussions on AI and ethics.