“The focus is on people, and the focus is to also demystify and clarify what AI is.” Abeba Birhane
“The focus is on people, and the focus is to also demystify and clarify what AI is.”
Abeba Birhane
AI is transforming society, but it brings risks of entrenching inequalities and harm if left unchecked.
In the latest episode of ADAPT Radio, we hear from two experts who are a part of a brand new research group that is working to keep AI accountable. The AI Accountability Lab focuses on critical issues across broad topics such as the examination of opaque technological ecologies and the execution of audits on specific models and training datasets. Our experts explore how researchers are trying to join the dots between evidence and policy and how better AI awareness is key to preventing harm.
Our guests, leading the way in AI accountability, are Dr Abeba Birhane, a cognitive scientist and Research Fellow in the ADAPT Research Centre Ireland, and Dr Roel Dobbe is an Assistant Professor in Technology, Policy & Management at Delft University of Technology focusing on Sociotechnical AI Systems.
In the podcast, Dr. Birhane highlights the newly launched AI Accountability Lab, housed in the ADAPT Centre, which focuses on ensuring AI systems remain accountable by examining opaque technologies, auditing datasets, and connecting research to impactful policy.
Training data, a critical foundation for AI models, is under scrutiny. Dr. Birhane’s work has revealed biases in datasets that misrepresent concepts like gender, geography, and identity. For instance, stereotypes in AI can perpetuate harmful representations, influencing societal perceptions.
As mentioned in the podcast, with backing from independent funders like the AI Collaborative, Luminate, and the MacArthur Foundation, the lab maintains academic freedom to pursue unbiased research. This independence is vital for auditing AI systems from major tech firms without conflicts of interest.
As AI continues to evolve, initiatives like the AI Accountability Lab are essential to ensuring technology serves all of society equitably.
Listen to this month’s ADAPT Radio podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.
