The Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund recently announced it is donating $7.6 million in an effort to support a total of 9 organizations aimed at “bolster[ing] the voice of civil society in shaping the development of artificial intelligence in the public interest.” In a world that is dominated by technological advances, the fund acknowledges the importance of artificial intelligence and its future role in society.
The fund was launched earlier this year in January with the donation of $27 million from the Knight Foundation, Omidyar Network, Reid Hoffman, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Jim Pallotta.
Alberto Ibargüen, the president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, stated, “Artificial intelligence will affect every aspect of modern life [and] the issues of ethics and governance of new and pervasive technology are complex and profound, and the work must not only involve technologists. This initial round of support, focused on the three areas of media, criminal justice and autonomous vehicles, is just a beginning.”
The fund set aside $5.9 million in support of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. These two institutions have been recognized as primary operating facilities for the project. Each will focus on 3 primary initiatives: media and information quality; social and criminal justice; and autonomous vehicles. The goal is to reveal the challenges within these 3 areas and reiterate how artificial intelligence can be an important role in improvement.
Aside from MIT and Harvard, the fund will donate $1.7 million in support of seven other organizations that align with the values and initiatives of Harvard and MIT. Executive director of the Berkman Klein Center, Urs Gasser, said, “MIT and Harvard are only one part of a much larger, ongoing global conversation around these technologies. These initial grants represent a commitment towards supporting the broader conversation around AI, inviting diverse perspectives and voices while focused on concrete challenges and solutions.”
The Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund has allowed these different organizations to help the world progress in terms of knowledge and application of artificial intelligence. In due time, it will be interesting to see how much progress we can makes as a society.
Mohammad Sultani for TechFunnel.com
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