The AI Ethics Council, founded by Open AI CEO Sam Altman and Operation HOPE CEO John Hope Bryant, held its inaugural meeting on Friday, June 28th in Atlanta. The group, which evolved out of a listening tour that was initiated last spring at Clark Atlanta University that Mr. Altman and Mr. Bryant conducted together, was formed to ensure that traditionally underrepresented communities would have a voice in the evolution of AI overall— to help frame the human and ethical considerations around the technology, and vast participation in the economic opportunities of artificial intelligence. The council was announced in December 2023 at the HOPE Global Forums | Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
The AI Ethics Council is an interdisciplinary body of diverse experts designed to become a leading authority in identifying, advising on, and addressing ethical issues related to artificial intelligence and its impact on underserved and historically excluded communities. In addition to Mr. Altman and Mr. Bryant, founding council members include:
- George T. French, Jr., JD, PhD., President, Clark Atlanta University and Chair of Presidents, United Negro College Fund
- Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH, President, Spelman College
- Bernice A. King, JD, M. Div, CEO, The King Center
- David A. Thomas, PhD., President, Morehouse College
- Angela F. Williams, JD, M. Div, President and CEO, United Way Worldwide
- Ambassador Andrew J. Young, Chairman, The Andrew J. Young Foundation, former U.N. Ambassador, former Mayor of Atlanta and civil rights icon
Additional members representing the technology and community sectors will be announced in the coming months.
At the inaugural meeting, James Hairston, Open AI’s Head of International Policy and Partnerships, briefed members on the current state of AI, including its challenges and opportunities. Mr. Bryant shared that he will be convening a meeting of tech leaders to advance issues important to the council, and announced the Council website will go live July 1, 2024. “I see this website as our first stake in the ground. Its substance will grow, expand, and deepen over time. Transparency will be a hallmark. I encourage all citizens, here and abroad, to get informed and educated around what AI really is and isn’t,” said Mr. Bryant. “As a council, we aim to focus our attention on the needle we can help move: expanding inclusive opportunity around our shared future, for everyone, as it relates to AI.”
In addition to Mr. Bryant, Operation HOPE was represented by President and CFO Brian Betts and AI Ethics Council Managing Director Eric Kaplan. Topics the Council discussed included:
- The need to focus on technical capacity: How will we develop, grow, evaluate, and test the technical capacity of the system?
- How to evaluate safety, reporting, and the capacity of the law to adapt?
- What are the processes in place to evaluate AI?
- What can be done granularly to get more components of society involved?
- How can we prepare for an uncertain/undetermined future with this new tech?
- How can AI benefit the world? What are the dangers? How to optimize adoption? How do we encourage equitable participation in the economic and societal benefits?
The AI Ethics Council will form a committee framework, with sub-committees and working groups, through which members will help guide ethical principles for AI. The Council will be initially focused on the intersection of technology and humanity for positive, ethical, and transformative impact generally in economic opportunity for all, finance, education, policy, employment, accessibility, health and healthcare, and sustainability.
The AI Ethics Council will undertake a staged approach to the mission, pursuing impact by leveraging enhanced public visibility and influence, deep tech sector expertise, policy-focused advocacy, partnerships, program development, and active engagement with tech, business, community, government, and other stakeholders. Intended outcomes include:
- Establishment of Council and Committees consisting of multidisciplinary experts dedicated to advancing AI ethics, and positive future vision for our world.
- Development and dissemination of AI ethics guidelines and best practices.
- Engagement of education leaders, community leaders, business leaders and entrepreneurs, government, technologists-for-good, and the public, to foster informed discussions and decisions on AI ethics.
- Promotion of ethical AI usage through education and engagement.
- Empowerment, inclusion, economic opportunity, and acting where appropriate and where the Council can add value.
An update on the Council’s first-year activities will be shared at the 2024 HOPE Global Forums | Annual Meeting, December 9-11 in Atlanta.
