AI and Philanthropy
“C-3PO: Sir, it’s quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable.
C-3PO: Sometimes I just don’t understand human behavior. After all, I’m only trying to do my job.”
Lurdes de Sousa*
If you were born in the 70’s or 80’s, your teen and early adult age were intrinsically immersed in the Star Wars saga, created by George Lucas in 1977.
The saga had all the ingredients of success: the first generation of visual effects, the battle between the good Force and evil, a love story, and a myriad of eccentric personages that enchanted generations, amongst them the famous android couple C-3PO and R2-D2.
While these androids became known to us on the cinema screen, with their unforgettable sense of humor, honesty, devotion, evilness or compassion (and even, at times, more human than humans…), we know today that Lucas was writing the future. Artificial intelligence is here to stay.
A.I. presents itself in both grand and mundane ways.
ChatGPT is the talk of the town and much will still be written about this algorithm that writes, composes, thinks and, simultaneously, even has the capacity to admit its mistakes, according to OpenAI, the chatbot’s creator.
Philanthropy has, surprisingly, been mostly absent from debates surrounding A.I., despite the fundamental role it must play in shaping A.I.’s full potential as a force for good.
Although philanthropy generally occupies a privileged position in the financial sphere, it is a driving force for moral responsibility and is a source of public leadership.
Philanthropist Organizations (PO’s) must use their influence among those inside and outside companies and institutions to build a future in which A.I. works ethically and effectively to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges.
It’s time to define the role philanthropy should play in protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring that A.I. works towards social improvement for all.
That’s the purpose of the newly created “Global AI Action Alliance,” a platform for philanthropic and technology leaders to engage in the development of good A.I. practices.
The alliance is led by 20 senior philanthropic leaders and POs. It proposes a four-stage action plan with a strong commitment to learning and to acting. How, though? By which means or legitimate channels does all this occur?
As Dan Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing and board chair of the MacArthur Foundation, observed at the recently held Davos Forum, “A.I. can help us leapfrog some of the societal challenges we face, but we must design it to do so. There’s no such thing as a ‘good technology’ in and of itself — we have to make it work for us.”
Action can be translated into many ways, as A.I. will impact a broad range of potential issues.
It is likely, say some advocates, that organizations should consider appointing their own chief technology ethics officers with responsibility and authority to marshal necessary resources.
An A.I. ombudsman could even be considered.
After all, A.I., Chabots, such as ChatGPT, are only programed, like C-3PO, to “do their job.” The ball is in our court. Let philanthropy and society at large ensure that the extraordinary potential of A.I. works ethically and for the common good.
*President, Associação Internacional
de Filantropia (Macau)
國際꺽愛協會 (걜門)
Macau Daily Times is the official media partner of the Associação Internacional de Filantropia (Macau).
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