Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Highlights Newly Announced Global Task Force for Inclusive AI

Amid the proliferation of accessible AI tools like ChatGPT and the rapid development of AI systems, policy efforts focused on responsible AI such as the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework are more relevant than ever.

At today’s Summit for Democracy, Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy cited the necessary and valuable work of Partnership on AI’s Inclusive Research and Design Program, affirming the need for AI practices that reflect democratic values, engage communities and protect civil and human rights.

“The Partnership on AI is launching a multi-sector global task force for developing inclusive AI. This will be a first of its kind coalition, with partners from the private sector, academia, and civil society, focused on developing research and design methods for AI to root out algorithmic discrimination, safeguard rights, and promote equitable innovation. This task force responds to the call of the AI Bill of Rights, and we’re happy to see this important work getting underway.”

The creation of the Global Task Force for Inclusive AI responds to the call for inclusion in the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. Led by PAI, the first-of-its-kind global Task Force will include leaders in industry, civil society, academia as well as experts in participatory engagement. They come from PAI’s global multistakeholder community of over 100 organizations across 15 countries.

“Without the intentional inclusion of diverse perspectives, particularly those underrepresented in tech, we won’t have a full picture of AI’s potential impacts and harms,” said Rebecca Finlay, CEO at Partnership on AI. “I look forward to working with the Global Task Force towards a shared goal of ensuring that AI is developed to respect, protect, and defend human rights and resilient democracies.”

“In this time of rapid innovation, we must invest in both technological advancements and policy initiatives to ensure that AI benefits individuals and society as a whole, while proactively addressing any potential adverse effects,” says Eric Horvitz, Chair of the Partnership on AI Board and Chief Scientific Officer at Microsoft. “The Task Force’s insights can help us gain a better understanding of AI’s social and ethical implications, enabling us to develop and field innovations that more effectively meet the needs of people and communities.”

“As new technologies are developed, we must take action to avoid perpetuating historic and contemporary inequities,” said Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies and Director of Center of Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution. “I support the Task Force’s goal of centering the perspectives and experiences of historically marginalized groups, and believe it will be an important step towards developing more inclusive and ethical AI.”

The Task Force will facilitate partnerships between technology developer teams and community-based organizations to help identify and address algorithmic discrimination and other social harms that may result from the use of AI-enabled products, services, and systems. Through the creation of participatory engagement best practices, the Task Force will help ensure that those who are impacted by the use of AI and other automated decision making systems are more directly involved in its creation.

As technology continues to innovate and evolve at a rapid pace, community-led guidelines, best practices, and frameworks will be a key component to developing and deploying AI that factors in social and societal impact, and to ensure systems are developed in line with global AI policy frameworks. Through its multi-stakeholder model, PAI develops such recommendations based on research and consultation with individuals and organizations across regions and sectors. In the last year, PAI has released clear guiding principles for ethical public engagement during the AI project lifecycle, a framework of responsible practices for synthetic media, and resources for implementing fair labor practices for data enrichment.