Google launched the Digital Futures Project to support AI policymaking and research. As part of this endeavor, Google.org, the company's charity arm, plans to create a $20 million fund with the intention of giving grants to think tanks and academic institutions working on developing artificial intelligence.
"AI has the potential to make our lives easier and address some of society's most complex challenges, like preventing disease, making cities work better, and predicting natural disasters. But it also raises questions about fairness, bias, misinformation, security, and the future of work," Google.org director Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink stated in Google's official blog, pointing out the importance of responsible AI development and the necessity to tackle these urgent concerns.
How Does It Work?
The Google Digital Futures Project funds independent researchers studying AI's global security implications, how to secure institutions and enterprises, how AI affects labor and workforce transitions to AI-related jobs, and how governments can use AI to boost productivity and economic growth. It also aims to spur debates on the governance frameworks and cross-industry initiatives that might support moral and responsible AI innovation.
According to TechCrunch, the fund's inaugural recipients include the Aspen Institute, Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for a New American Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Institute for Security and Technology, Leadership Conference Education Fund, MIT Work of the Future, R Street Institute, and SeedAI.
Notably, Google's dedication to ethical AI goes beyond financial backing. The goal of the Digital Futures Project is to include policymakers and stakeholders while promoting awareness of the moral considerations involved in the creation and use of AI technology. Google wants to play a key role in influencing the development of AI for societal good by working with regulators and business partners.
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Google highlights its dedication to openness and its confidence in ethical AI. The corporation issued AI Principles in 2018 and created a governance committee to examine new AI systems to ensure their adoption. Google teams frequently publish industry-leading research on AI topics like justice, equality, security, privacy, and safety.
However, the tech giant acknowledges that building responsible AI requires partnerships. "We hope the Digital Futures Project and this fund will support many others across academia and civil society to advance independent research on AI that helps this transformational technology benefit everyone," Gosselink stated in The Keyword article.
Governments, Tech Giants Collaborate to Address AI Concerns
The announcement of the Digital Futures Project comes at a time when industry leaders and governments are taking action to guarantee the ethical and safe development of AI models, and responsible AI garners more attention.
Four major AI companies, including Google, founded the Frontier Model Forum this year to promote safe and ethical AI research. US President Joe Biden and tech firms also agreed on a voluntary set of AI safety measures. Discussions on creating an AI manual are now taking place throughout Europe.
Moreover, NBC News reported that, in an exclusive closed-door session on Wednesday, all 100 US senators will hear from tech leaders like Elon Musk, who recently acquired and rebranded Twitter as X; Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook; Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT; and others.
New York Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls this the first AI Insight Forum that will be held throughout September.
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