The Tech Humanist Show: Episode 2 – Dr. Rumman Chowdhury
Summary
The Tech Humanist Show explores how data and technology shape the human experience. It's recorded live each week in a live-streamed video program before it's made available in audio format. Hosted by Kate O’Neill.
About this episode's guest:
Rumman Chowdhury’s passion lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence and humanity. She holds degrees in quantitative social science and has been a practicing data scientist and AI developer since 2013. She is currently the Global Lead for Responsible AI at Accenture Applied Intelligence, where she works with C-suite clients to create cutting-edge technical solutions for ethical, explainable and transparent AI.
She tweets as @ruchowdh.
This episode streamed live on Thursday, July 23, 2020.
Episode highlights:
(Part 1)
3:17 how Rumman's background in political science shapes her thinking in AI
3:28 "quantitative social science is math with context"
3:58 "often when we talk about technologies like artificial intelligence… we've started to talk about the technology as if it supersedes the human"
4:11 Rumman mentions her article "The pitfalls of a ‘retrofit human’ in AI systems": https://venturebeat.com/2019/11/11/the-pitfalls-of-a-retrofit-human-in-ai-systems/
4:56 What is the core human concept that shapes your work?
5:25 "I recognize and want a world in which people make decisions that I disagree with, but they are making those decisions fully informed and fully capable."
5:49 A DOG ALMOST APPEARS!
7:18 transparency and explainability in Responsible AI
8:17 on the cake trend: "reality is already turned upside on its head — I want to be able to trust that the shoe is a shoe and not really a cake" :)
9:04 on the critiques of Responsible AI, "cancel culture," and anthropomorphizing machines
11:11 Responsible AI is not about having politically correct answers; her role leading Responsible AI is part of core business functions
12:00 Responsible AI is about serving the customers, the people; credit lending discrimination example
12:40 need for discussion that's bigger than profitability and efficiency; humanity and human flourishing
13:27 "human flourishing — creating something with positive impact — is not at odds with good business"
15:21 "I think sometimes people can get overly focused on value as revenue generation; value comes from many, many different things"
17:05 a political science view on human agency relative to machine outcomes
19:22 AI governance
20:34 "constructive dissent"
21:13 the "human in the loop" problem
25:14 algorithmic bias
29:20 "building products with the future in mind"
29:44 are there applications of AI that fill you with hope for the good they could potentially do?
(Part 2)
0:45 how can we promote humanity and human flourishing with AI and emerging technologies?
1:16 what can businesses do to enable Responsible AI
1:22 "I have a paper out… where we interview people who work in Responsible AI and Ethical AI… on what companies can do" (see: https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.12358)
6:22 what can the average human being do
8:40 where can people find you?
on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruchowdh
on the web: http://www.rummanchowdhury.com/