Community Voices in AI
On April 25th, SPG hosted Community Voices in AI, a Research!America-funded event to bring together UCLA researchers, community members, and policymakers to discuss the potential promises and challenges that accompany a more widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI). Spearheaded by SPG member Erin Morrow, the event included an expert panel, community member Q&A, and dinner with panelists.
Community Voices in AI’s expert panel included Michael Karanicolas, Executive Director of UCLA’s Institute for Technology, Law, and Policy, which works to bridge the UCLA Engineering and Law schools and leverage their combined expertise to achieve better policy outcomes. SPG was also privileged to host panelist Jessica Peake, Director of UCLA’s International and Comparative Law Program and the Assistant Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights, where she investigates how AI impacts democracy and human rights. Dr. Alejandra Casillas, an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Residence at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, rounded out the panel. Dr. Casillas’s work at UCLA and with the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD Program focuses on improving delivery of care to in-need populations, and considers how AI can both mitigate and exacerbate existing health disparities.
Left, Michael Karanicolas, Center, Dr. Alejandra Casillas, Right, Jessica Peake. Far right, moderators Ingrid Chang and Erin Morrow.
The evening began with the challenge of defining AI, which was described by Casillas as an umbrella term for many types of technologies, including machine learning and generative AI. Karanicolas highlighted two commonalities of AI technologies: 1) these technologies can perform tasks previously done by humans, and 2) they are iterative, continuing to learn and improve over time.
When asked to give examples of how AI is used in the “real world,” panelists first described how AI was involved in the hiring process, as well as regulatory screens at federal agencies like the US Patent & Trade Office, Internal Revenue Service, Securities & Exchange Commission, and Food & Drug Administration. In the medical sphere, Dr. Casillas highlighted the potential benefits of AI to help clinicians diagnose and monitor patients based on data patterns and integration. In particular, AI use in clinical note-taking and medical imaging could increase doctors’ efficiency and accuracy. More chillingly, Peake discussed the current use of AI-driven police and military surveillance systems at the US-Mexico and Israel-Gaza borders to flag and target individuals. When asked about the ethical issues surrounding AI, panelists pointed out that AI technologies are all fundamentally regressive, making predictions based on what has been done previously. In this way, humans and AI are prone to the same biases – and thus potential discrimination. Peake also warned against a general destruction of truth. That is, AI-generated content can often lead us to question the veracity of events (for example, evidence of war crimes or election results).
Community Q&A was lively, with questions spanning from AI’s impact on climate change, the responsible use of AI in education, and international cooperation in regulating AI development. One particularly salient audience question pertained to strategies to close the technology-policy gap described by all the panelists. In response, Karanicolas highlighted an enduring tension and legal gray area between intellectual property/privacy rights and new technologies that still needs to be addressed and clarified. Peake mentioned that slowing down the technology sector is not an option – indeed, the nature and culture of technology is to be disruptive. Instead, policymaking must advance more rapidly. To do this, Karanicolas suggested increasing the number of people in the government with backgrounds in science/technology. Notably, there are relatively few programs for engineers and STEM students to transition into policy work compared to law students.
Speaking to the need for policy engagement, Morrow and her team of SPG members released a summary of the event for the (nearly 20!) local policymakers who were invited but unable to attend. At its outset, a major goal of the Community Voices in AI event was to empower citizen advocacy via multilateral conversations between academics, the public, and policymakers.
The event was followed by a chance to connect with panelists and participants over a catered Mediterranean dinner. Thanks again to our knowledgeable panelists and the community members who braved the chilly weather to engage in important conversations about the prospects and potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence!
