{"id":59679,"date":"2021-09-28T10:58:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T17:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/microsoft-in-business\/?p=59679"},"modified":"2023-06-16T08:46:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T15:46:16","slug":"building-equity-in-ai-insights-from-the-university-of-texas-and-microsoft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/microsoft-in-business\/business-transformation\/2021\/09\/28\/building-equity-in-ai-insights-from-the-university-of-texas-and-microsoft\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Equity in AI: Insights from The University of Texas and Microsoft"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AS. Craig Watkins is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, an internationally recognized expert in media, founding director of the Institute for Media Innovation<\/a>, and the Lead Principal Investigator for UT\u2019s Good Systems<\/a> Designing AI for Racial Justice research project. Before coming to Microsoft, Stephen Elkin served as CIO for the City of Austin, Texas. While engaged in separate sectors, Craig and Stephen share guiding strategies and principles for approaching AI and its role in society, specifically on how to use AI technology to solve health, humanitarian, and accessibility issues while keeping transparency, equity, and ethics at the forefront. Stephen and Craig recently sat down to discuss Craig\u2019s latest research on AI ethics and the future of equity in the AI landscape.<\/p>\n

AI and Our Shared Obligation of Equity<\/h3>\n

In 2019, the University of Texas launched a grand design challenge to bring researchers together across disciplines to solve world issues. This resulted in Good Systems, a multidisciplinary, campus-wide project focused on understanding and building AI technologies that benefit society.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs AI becomes more central in our lives, it\u2019s critical to think about the processes that go into its design,\u201d explained Craig. \u201cSpecifically, whose ideas, values, and views of the world guide AI design is a privilege. The first iterations of these systems were largely designed by companies lacking significant diversity. That has serious consequences for the products being developed, the way AI is conceptualized, and how AI and machine learning models are built.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Good Systems, Craig leads a team examining how AI can help address racial inequality. They are investigating how bias and lack of transparency in technologies can affect different populations, and researching those concerns from ethical, design, development, and sociological perspectives. \u201cThe fundamental question is: \u2018what makes a good system good?\u2019 We have to examine it in terms of development, engineering, use of data, outcomes, and identify who it\u2019s good for,\u201d said Craig.<\/p>\n

One challenge both Craig and Microsoft identified is the need for increased transparency. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer feasible or acceptable for an exclusive community of people to understand AI systems,\u201d Craig said. \u201cMost people don\u2019t know how they function, make predictions, and make assumptions about the world. It can\u2019t only be engineers or data scientists developing a healthcare algorithm. There needs to be a greater diversity of people at the table throughout the life cycle of any AI\/ML product.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Accelerate<\/a> initiative is one way Microsoft is addressing that need. The effort, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, provides digital skills designed to address economic recovery through skilling underserved communities and re-skilling Americans impacted by COVID-19.\u00a0The Future Ready A(i) Forum provides digital training for future workforce skills with AI workshops and seminars.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping close the digital divide through educating the future and current workforce about AI is a critical step towards realizing broader equity,\u201d said Stephen.<\/p>\n

Reimagining AI to Improve Access to Mental Health Resources<\/h3>\n

One project Craig leads at the Institute for Media Innovation, is the development of an AI-based healthcare app designed to make mental healthcare more accessible to youth. Over the past decade, Craig studied how youth adopt and interact with different technology and began noticing a significant increase among that population using social media to address mental health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially with the pandemic, youth are increasingly expressing mental health concern and they\u2019re using technology as they do for so many other aspects of their lives \u2013 to navigate daily life, access information, and facilitate conversations to better understand mental health issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craig\u2019s team began developing an AI-based app that allows a mental health professional (psychologist, therapist, or a non-clinical position) to work more effectively and efficiently with a patient to monitor moods and activities while away from each other. Using data gathered, the app helps professionals craft customized wellness plans and better identify and understand triggers or conditions that lead to depression, anxiety, or more positive mood outcomes. The hope is to provide a platform that provides access, builds trust, and offers social support.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour goals for this app are similar to those of our AI for Health initiative,\u201d said Stephen. \u201cWe\u2019ve awarded over 180 grants to partners who are helping accelerate research, increase global health insights, and address health equity and care for underserved populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s AI for Accessibility program is focused on minimizing the mental health care gaps around the globe. Mental Health America<\/a>, Northwestern University<\/a> and University of Toronto<\/a> are working to build an adaptive-text messaging service to provide more accessible and engaging interventions.<\/p>\n

Placing Equity at the Heart of AI<\/h3>\n

When discussing the application of AI across state and local initiatives, equity being a guidepost is critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a previous government employee, one of the things I\u2019ve always strongly emphasized is the need for government to use AI to increase efficiencies and modernize the way it connects, interacts, and provides services to their communities,\u201d said Stephen. \u201cNow, more than ever, it\u2019s important to take that approach with an equity mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, equity needs to be at the center of the discussion,\u201d noted Craig. \u201cThat\u2019s true for all sectors \u2013 understanding unique equity challenges is critical to adopting and deploying these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help address those concerns, Craig worked with the City of Austin\u2019s Equity Office to explore a toolkit that allows departments to conduct internal assessments of their racial equity processes across budget, leadership, workforce, policy, and operations. \u201cThe toolkit facilitates an opportunity for departments to look at their AI use and other data-based systems through a racial equity lens, so they can begin to rethink and refine their strategic use of these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat toolkit is very similar to what we advise among our government partners,\u201d noted Stephen. \u201cWhile government is starting to leverage AI more, they\u2019re still behind the curve in technology adoption and ethics and governance strategies. Part of the dialogue we have with governments is around their responsibility to anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences of AI. Establishing governing practices to guide AI efforts is critical. Engaging in both public and private partnerships dialogue can greatly advance responsible use of AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking forward<\/h3>\n

As academic and technology stakeholders continue to expand and refine AI and machine learning, the underlying theme across all industries is to apply responsible and ethical AI strategies while growing the population of workers who understand these systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, this is the challenge and opportunity,\u201d said Craig. \u201cIt\u2019s not something that only engineers or data scientists can solve. It must include ethicists, non-tech researchers, social scientists, and business. Being a part of cross-disciplinary teams is exciting because that\u2019s where the real future of the work lies and where the real impact will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft is committed to the advancement of AI driven principles that put people first. Learn more about Good Systems and the racial equity work by reading the following:<\/p>\n