AI ethics council holds first meeting in Atlanta, looks to expand
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
July, 15, 2024
Atlanta education and Civil Rights leaders met at the end of June for the first gathering of a council aimed at discussing the ethics around artificial intelligence that includes one of the biggest players in the industry, OpenAI.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, co-chairs a new AI ethics council alongside Atlanta entrepreneur and Operation HOPE founder John Hope Bryant, though Altman wasn’t present at the inaugural June 28 meeting.
Instead, the members heard from James Hairston, OpenAI’s head of international policy and partnerships, Brian Betts, president and chief financial officer of Operation HOPE, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hairston briefed the council on the current state of AI.
The meeting came three days after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the council had not yet launched six months after it was announced.
The members include the presidents of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman colleges, United Way Worldwide CEO Angela Williams, former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young and civil rights activist and King Center CEO Bernice A. King.
Political commentator Van Jones is also joining the council, Operation HOPE’s chief communications and strategy officer Kevin Boucher said in an email. The news was first reported by Saporta Report.
The goal of the council is to “ensure underserved and historically excluded communities don’t get left behind” in AI, Betts said. He added the council is still in phase one of its work — researching and having discussions to develop an initial AI ethics framework.
AI is seen as the next frontier of technology, but while some marvel and its ability to automate certain tasks, people have many questions about how to govern the technology and risks it poses, particularly for people of color.
In a 2022 Pew Research study, 37% of Americans said they were more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life, while 45% were equally concerned and excited. Those who are more concerned said they were worried about potential loss of jobs, privacy issues and misuse of the technology, among other things.
And many Americans don’t think that the views and experiences of people of color have been considered by AI creators. Nearly half of all those surveyed think the experiences of white adults have been taken into account in designing AI, but only 24% believe that Black adults’ experiences were considered.
“We know that there are real risks as this continues to evolve,” Spelman President Dr. Helene Gayle told the AJC Thursday. But the council is “trying to make sure that there’s a way of thinking about doing this in an ethical sense … but does not take on some of the potential risks that all people worry about.”
Williams from United Way joined the ethics council about two months ago and said she views it as an opportunity to make sure people who are traditionally left behind by technology have a voice.
“What I’m very interested in is, what are the ethics around implementation? What are the implications of this technology, not only in the realm of education, but in workforce and economic opportunity, in having better lives?” Williams said in an interview. “Just making sure that the critical questions are asked as they’re on the front end of this new technology.”
But OpenAI is not the only player and Operation HOPE wants to get other tech companies involved in the council. The organization has a list of companies that it is inviting to join the council, Betts said, though he did not give details.
Betts said Altman and Bryant were in Sun Valley, Idaho, last week at a gathering of political, financial, media and business leaders some call a “summer camp for billionaires,” and were having conversations with tech executives.
Betts added the council is also looking to create committees that would be more heavily involved with the day-to-day work of the group. The council will give an update on its first-year activities at the HOPE Global Forum in December and recently launched a website that details its mission, members and other resources on AI.