9 minute read
THE PATH TO RESPONSIBLE AI
SID BHATIA, REGIONAL DIRECTOR – MIDDLE EAST, DATAIKU, ON HOW TO MITIGATE AI RISKS
Artificial intelligence (AI) solves real-world problems. We know this. We have seen it. Last year, we saw droves of regional businesses move to the cloud and, once there, realise that scalable, affordable smart technologies were within reach. Proofs of concept quickly followed, as did several success stories. And then, as AI grew in popularity, a concept that had largely been the subject of conversation among tech experts began to go mainstream. That concept is “responsible AI”.
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Hundreds of billions of dollars in commercial AI revenue is expected to flow to the Middle East by 2030, and contribute heavily to double-digit GDP growth, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaping the most benefits, followed by Saudi Arabia. GCC nations have been pioneers in artificial intelligence and the UAE has been a trendsetter among them. The country was the first in the world to appoint a minister of state for AI and in October 2017 it launched the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031. By the nation’s sixtieth anniversary celebrations, it aims to solve real-world problems that include the elimination of the federal government’s 250 million annual paper transactions.
The UAE, like many countries, grasps the potential of smart technologies to supercharge economies and solve environmental and social issues. The government’s AI strategy may focus on the 190 million people-hours wasted each year or the 1 billion unnecessary kilometers travelled for the sake of physical transactions. But stakeholders and public messaging also regularly refer to responsible AI.
Align intent with consequences
Responsible AI is a common framework that focuses organisations on the wider implications of their technology experiments. Methodologies and best practices in responsible AI seek to align intent with consequences and ensure that developers of AI solutions never lose sight of their impact beyond the enterprise. Broadly speaking, this requires collaboration among
stakeholders of different backgrounds at every step in the development process, from design to deployment.
Just as successful leverage of AI technology requires a culture change, so does the delivery of responsible AI. So, it is more beneficial from a business standpoint to integrate responsible AI from the start. Companies should begin by examining their values and responsibilities. A list of dos and don’ts, communicated clearly to all employees, will help to govern everything that comes after.
To make AI work for a business requires that staff at all levels are aware of (for example) what data needs to be collected and how. While training employees in these processes, they can also be introduced to the ethical and legal components of the technologies and all the possible spillovers from their use. Every action they take should be viewed through the lens of the responsibility framework so that they are aware of the legal and moral implications of what they do on behalf of the organisation.
The need for transparency
Responsible AI systems must be secure, but they also must be transparent. Non-technical people must be given the means to interrogate a result from an AI system, be it an automated action, a recommendation, or an alert. Good governance in the development of such systems will define a set of deliverables at each step that will ensure that products remain transparent. Performance and uptime are just part of the equation. Readily auditable platforms should record data access ― not just timestamps, but the user that accessed it and their reasons for doing so.
Decision makers and developers must be empowered with the correct tools and best-practice training to deliver technically sound and audit-ready AI systems. Integrating the elements of responsible AI requires taking astute action at every point in the development pipeline. Constant communication between stakeholders will also be necessary to flag any potential issues so all relevant parties can assess them against the responsibility framework.
This is where the correct choice of stakeholders will come into play. Responsible AI comes more naturally to organisations that are prepared to include potential users of the end system in the development process, or at least people who are representative of end users. Failure to do this in the past has led to some public failures in AI that have diminished confidence in the technology’s ability to fulfil certain use cases.
The bias in data
For example, the bias that arises from historical data can lead AI systems to churn out unhelpful results. If ― as has happened ― an algorithm screens resumes and returns more male candidates than female, the fact that the algorithm accurately analyzed the history of hiring practices does nothing to improve the value of the result.
Responsible AI allows for prejudice in data and amends algorithms and analytics models accordingly. A committee that includes experts on historical prejudices ― or people who have experienced them ― is a stronger decisionmaking team. Also, techniques such as exploratory data analysis (EDA) ― a visualisation approach that can be helpful in identifying underlying structures and biases in data ― can greatly improve the quality of AI products.
A general error in the implementation of AI has been siloed development. Different teams work on different projects with different priorities. While this is counterproductive to the implementation of any AI program, it is particularly detrimental to the delivery of responsible AI. Common data sets are a prerequisite of ethical development because, as we have seen, the data itself can be the source of negative outcomes. Uniform, enterprise-wide commitments to transparency, data integrity and other goals are necessary to produce ethical products. Holistic frameworks will guide everyone because they will be designed to apply to all facets of the business, having been formulated by a wide range of stakeholders.
Responsible AI is accountable AI. It is ethical, grounded by its potential human impact, and lays bare its inner workings. Get the right team in place, with technical, domain, and legal specialists who pay attention to data quality and listen to wider audiences, and the results will be benchmarks for excellence.
THE VALUE OF A CIO IN THE GLOBAL CORPORATE LEADERSHIP ROLE
TERENCE SATHYANARAYAN, CEO OF PULSE IS, EXPLAINS THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF THE CIO ROLE IN FORTUNE GLOBAL 500 COMPANIES
As digital transformation efforts progress, alongside organisational transformations, the role of the CIO demands to clear roadblocks that hinder business success.
This requires CIOs to minimise technical debt. Ever heard of “technical debt”? It’s expediting a piece of functionality or project which can later be refactored. Unfortunately, this decreases the agility of the project and can sometimes hinder the business. “Technical debt” is sometimes intentional; the demand from the business for speed forces a trade-off between perfect outcomes and short timelines, making this one of the most crucial impediments that have to be avoided. And who is expected to make this magic happen? CIOs, of course.
Another key priority is preventing stumbling blocks from a client perspective. Up until now, we’ve been discussing how technology has the upper hand in today’s world and how technology has become a lifestyle for most of us. It is CIOs who are burdened with the pressure to find positive ways to respond to this technical jump. However, as customers, we are sometimes posed with slow response times, performance issues, data hiccups, bumpy user experiences, and outdated interfaces. As a CIO, it is up to you to ensure an effortless customer experience which is the foundation of business progression. All this, keeping cost in mind.
Recruiting or training an efficient IT team should be on top of the transformational CIO agenda. Technology has been growing, and so is its obsession; people find ways to incorporate technology in every part of their lives. Microservices make versatility, speed of delivery, and maintainability possible. When embedded in apps, AI delivers the multi experiences (chatbots, predictions, AR and VR, voice) that attract and retain customers and users. The challenge to every CIO is finding or training developers and data scientists who can deliver intelligent apps and systems that develop your business and focus on making a profit.
It is also imperative for CIOs to maintain a secure business network. The most prominent CIO challenge and primary accountability is the health of the business’ network. Without a robust network, digitisation efforts falter. Only with a sturdy network will the CIO achieve the organisation’s credibility and the responsibility of a leader.
Now, let’s talk about the importance of a CIO in a Fortune Global 500 company. Since 2001, there has been a significant change in the geographical distribution of the companies in the Global 500 rankings. The number of North American-based companies decreased from 215 in 2001 to 143 in 2017 and the contribution of Asianbased companies increased from 116 in 2001 to 197 in 2017. These companies span over most industries like retail, petroleum, energy, Internet services, to automobiles and cover sectors in aerospace, constructions, healthcare, media, telecommunications, and transportation, to name a few. Each one of them has its CIO leading its transformation initiatives. With the pace of technology accelerating exponentially, CIOs are called to be more versatile, demonstrating a blend of skills. Not only do CIOs manage technical projects but they also innovate business models to help the organization maneuver through a technological outburst.
If we trace back to the 1980s when the role of CIO emerged as a job title, their job roles were specific and distinctive. However, with all these advancements and alterations, CIOs have needed to diversify their work methodology.
By now, we know that CIOs are charged with working cross-functional efforts that demand collaboration and a more comprehensive leadership skill set, including powerful emotional intelligence. Thus driving business outcomes through the exploitation of the latest technologies while maintaining a legacy infrastructure to have a balance between ‘business as usual’ and ‘ seamless customer experiences.”
In today’s uncertain economic environment, CIOs are privileged with their ability to optimise systems horizontally and contribute to the needs of the global organisation from both a technical and a business perspective.
https://cxoinsightme.com/ictleadershipawards/2021/
Conrad Hotel, Dubai 17 OCTOBER 2021
The Middle East is a bubbling cauldron of tech innovation. The pace of digital transformation in the region is accelerating in the wake of the pandemic with the rapid adoption of digital technologies. ICT Leadership Awards 2021, taking place on 17th October 2021, will recognise companies and individuals in the Middle East whose ICT practice has led to innovation and business resiliency during this pandemic.
Chosen by CXO Insight Middle East editors, we will spotlight organisations that are making smart business decisions with emerging technologies and the whole ecosystem that is fueling the growth of the ICT sector in the region. Be part of this awards programme that celebrates technology leaders from a broad range of organisations for their exemplary leadership and innovative approaches and tools and platforms these visionaries are tapping into to solve their business problems.
For the first time, we will also be recognising the achievements of B2B technology marketing managers who have made significant contributions to the success of their businesses and helped their brands to rise above the noise in a fast-paced market.
