The Partnership On AI Is Expanding

Artificial Intelligence  

The Partnership on AI, a consortium formed last fall to ensure the effective and ethical development of technologies in the artificial intelligence realm, recently announced 22 new members.

When the Partnership on AI started, it was made up primarily of huge names: Google, IBM, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon. However, most of the recently joined members are nonprofits.

Keep reading to find out why more organizations are interested in membership.

Founding members of the Partnership on AI - Microsoft's Eric Horvitz, Francesca Rossi of  IBM, Facebook's Yann LeCun and, Google DeepMind's Mustafa Suleyman

The Members Want to Use AI for Worthy Causes

According to a statement on the Partnership’s website, the goal of the organization is not simply to use the emerging power for non-specific purposes. The members want to go further and look at ways to “invest more attention and effort on harnessing AI to contribute to solutions for some of humanity’s most challenging problems, including making advances in health and wellbeing, transportation, education and the sciences.”

It makes sense, then, that the organizations that have decided to take part want to join in the cause to try and solve some of the biggest issues impacting people who make up society. There are ongoing efforts to do it, but AI’s capabilities could provide more momentum.

Creating a Clear and Authoritative Voice for AI in E-Commerce

Zalando and eBay have joined Amazon and now comprise some of the e-commerce companies within the Partnership. Analysts say it’s important for the e-commerce sector to have a strong voice as AI technologies continue to rise to the forefront.

People have already become familiar with AI in e-commerce over the the past several years when stores began using suggestive tactics based on previously purchased. It’s likely that great efforts will be put into AI for improving search functionality in particular.

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The Nonprofits Could Serve as an Example to Fellow Groups

As previously mentioned, the majority of members that have become associated with the Partnership most recently are nonprofits, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch and UNICEF. One of the Partnership on AI’s aims is to create a Civil Society Fellowship program that assists nonprofit workers who want to come together and discuss matters relating to AI and how they impact society.

Once people become involved in that initiative, they could set good examples for individuals at nonprofits who are not yet accustomed to offering their opinions about AI and the link to charitable efforts. Some in the nonprofit sector assert that for AI to genuinely benefit them and others working for positive change, there must be technologies that have been specifically designed for the unique needs of the respective organizations.

No matter how smart artificial intelligence is, it still needs knowledgeable humans and relevant data. Once those two ingredients are part of the equation, AI can make the largest impact in the nonprofit arena. The nonprofit organizations that have chosen to join the Partnership likely realize that and want to be among the pioneers that could shape the future for the better.

Plans for the Future

The Partnership on AI’s board of directors recently went on a two-day retreat in Chicago to figure out actionable strategies for achieving specific initiatives. They include establishing sector and topic-specific working groups to develop best practices related to AI, and giving a research paper-based award titled “AI, People and Society.”

Perhaps the future goal that most closely relates to the work most of the new members do is the launch of an AI Grand Challenges series. This seeks to tackle some of the most urgent and long-standing issues facing people and society by sparking some inspirational efforts that could capture headlines and demonstrate AI’s true potential for making the world a better place.

Although the Partnership on AI was only formed less than a year ago, its members are clearly working hard to meet goals and potentially make history. The diversity that’s present due to the variety of for-profit and nonprofit organizations should allow for valuable, broader perspectives.

By  Kayla Matthews	Embed
Kayla Matthews writes about marketing innovation and business solutions for Inc.com, Convince & Convert and WeWork. You can read more posts by Kayla on her blog, Productivity Theory.