WPI cohort to help address diversity, ethical issues with artificial intelligence

Photo | Timothy Doyle WPI campus in Worcester

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Thirty students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute will participate in nonprofit AI4ALL’s College Pathways program, with no cost to them, which encourages diversity and inclusion in the field of artificial intelligence and explores the impact of diversity in the field, according to an Oct. 24 release by the school.

“This allows them to achieve a sense of comfort and confidence to pursue the field as a career or as an input to whatever choice they will make,” Jean King, WPI’s Peterson Family dean of arts and sciences, said in the release. “Since AI is the basis of so many things, this knowledge is useful, if not critical, to being prepared for the digital revolution we are all part of."

AI4ALL is a program funded by Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, and in addition to bringing AI education to underserved communities, it seeks to avoid ethical pitfalls that stem from a lack of diversity in the industry.

According to WPI computer science professor Rodica Neamtu, court judges in some states are using AI to determine recidivism risk in pretrial and pre-sentencing scenarios. It has been found in some cases, however, to result in disproportionately designating Black and brown people as high risk for skipping bail or re-offending. Neamtu likened it to car insurance that tends to be less expensive in more affluent neighborhoods.

“Do we consider where people live?” Neamtu said in the release, “If you come from a poor area and are in a poor family, you already have two strikes against you. Maybe people should think about something else, other factors to consider. Why don’t we look at crime, rather than income per capita or the size of the houses? Those types of things have snuck into algorithms.”

The first WPI cohort of the program started on Wednesday, and the school hopes to have another cohort for the next term.