The IEEE Delhi Section and its ComSoc Chapter, in partnership with a group of think tanks and not-for-profit organizations in India, organized a two-day event entitled “International Colloquium on Ethics and Governance of Autonomous AI Systems for a Better World,” at the India International Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, on 18-19 February 2019.
The objective of the colloquium was to identify policy and governance mechanisms that may be put in place that encourage and not inhibit technological development of AI for the betterment of society and the environment. Deliberations were held in the colloquium on the need for transparency, accountability, protection of human values, the well-being of the environment and other related topics as AI based applications become more prevalent in society.
Eminent speakers from academia, such as the National Institute of Advanced Studies, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, Maulana Azad Medical College, the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru, the Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, etc., among others, and industry, such as the Center for Development of Telematics, the Center for Development of Advance Computing, Math-Works, Indian Telephone Industries, SAP, Microsoft, Aricent/Altran and Facebook among others, presented their perspectives on these issues.
Besides the Technology Overview, case studies in the field of Medical Image Processing, Telecom, Agriculture, Healthcare, Strategic Applications, Education, Ethics & Governance and Finance & Accounting were presented by a galaxy of distinguished speakers. There was a very good representation from Government as well. Honorable Union Minister Suresh Prabhu (in-charge of Commerce & Industries, Aviation) delivered the inaugural address while Dr. Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, Government of India was present in the concluding panel discussions and Q&A session.
From the IEEE Delhi Section, the event was supported/represented by Mr. Ajay Goel (Member, IEEE Delhi Section Executive Committee) and Mr. Prashant Chugh (IEEE ComSoc Delhi Chapter) under the guidance of Prof. Subrata Mukhopadhyay (Chair of the IEEE Delhi Section Standing Committee on Technical & Professional Activities).
Among the presenters from IEEE were Mr. Subhankar Pal, who delivered a presentation on “Human Centered Design for Responsible AI,” and Mr. Prashant Chugh, whose presentation was titled “Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems–IEEE Vision.” This presentation gave a summary of efforts by IEEE as a part of its standardization initiative and its very elaborate document “Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems,” along with the ongoing efforts under IEEE P7000 Series of Standards.