It has been slightly more than two months since our last public webinar. The Centre determined that it was timely to host a year-end Christmas event where participants could reflect and get inspired on the way forward. At the meeting, dialogue members shared their current research interests/portfolio and aspirations for 2021. Participants also identified areas where there is convergence with each other's work. It was heartening to witness the spirit of the dialogue come alive as participants spoke eagerly about how they can collaborate and learn from each other. We attach here the key takeaways from the meeting.
- Impact of 2020 and the way forward
Mark kicked off the meeting by thanking all the dialogue participants for their contributions. He congratulated the team for their support, their energy and, and for each bringing to the table their different perspectives from their respective areas of expertise. Mark further emphasized the usefulness of the ongoing alliance and how it has expanded our different ways of thinking and conducting research from an Asian perspective. Mark also celebrated the fact that the dialogue methodology has proven itself to be much more resilient than initially envisioned. He first acknowledged how the pandemic posed a challenge for the group in satisfying the traditional concept of a dialogue (i.e., where participants get to engage face to face), but is impressed at how the team turned crisis into opportunity by swiftly moving the dialogue into a technology space. He emphasized how the new format allots us with more freedom to invite new participants (who were previously limited by its original medium) and how it has enhanced the dialogue’s overall reputation and presence in the AI governance sphere.
Following on, Nydia showcased the features of the dialogue’s new microsite to participants. She remarked on how the microsite was designed to facilitate better engagement with external stakeholders/parties. Further, that the site was adopted to provide an accessible platform where members can retrieve relevant blogs, reports, and summaries. She encouraged participants to utilize the blog to feature their work (or any research in progress) and for the team to interact and leave comments on each other’s research.
- Takeaways from the COVID-19 webinar
Discussing the COVID-19 webinar held in October, Yong Lim sent across his appreciation to Arissa and Mark whom he felt were integral to the webinar’s overall success and development. He commented that there were multiple takeaways from the webinar – including how it has provided us with the opportunity to refine our dialogue methodology and perspectives. Yong Lim also remarked on how the webinar has inspired new ways of thinking and research motivations. He then commented on how he is currently performing a survey of AI principles and its core themes. He conveyed his preliminary observation that each jurisdiction prioritizes and internalizes different AI principles uniquely. Flowing from this, he asked dialogue participants whether they had any interest in coming together to discuss how specific AI principles play out in their jurisdictions. The group responded positively. They commented that the exercise would be a fruitful and interesting one to take. This sentiment was echoed by Adel who remarked that such an initiative is one of the main reasons why the dialogue was started in the first place.
- Ongoing research
Brian, Smitha, and Jhalak then proceeded to share their research plans for 2021. Brian shared his interest in researching and deconstructing “human in the loop” and the different roles that humans play with respect to AI – for example, the human as an AI trainer, the human involved in labelling AI, the human as a trainer, and the human as a quality controller, explainer, interpreter, model creator and designer.
Jhalak and Smitha then relayed their interest in examining India’s regulatory approach to AI governance. They explained that the current approach has been geared unlocking the economic value across the private sector, and there is a growing concern that the approach has not been rooted in broader principles discussed on data protection. Their research seeks to evaluate what the best-serving AI model is – whether self-regulatory, co-regulatory or a heavier regulatory model.
This sharing session was met with a great deal of interest and support from the rest of the dialogue participants who also shared some of their ongoing research papers. Additionally, the attending group was eager to find out more about Brian, Smitha and Jhalak’s research goals, aims, delivery, and how it connects back to their own independent research interests. Nydia reminded participants that they were free to organize a conversation with each other (outside of this meeting) and that SMU is happy to take over any of the administrative duties and scheduling of such meetings.
- Proposed agenda for 2021
The format for the dialogue will remain largely virtual because of the pandemic but in terms of its content, a series of interviews on AI governance will be conducted sometime in January to February (related to each participant’s research interest). This interview series will be featured on the project’s microsite. Sometime in February to June, the dialogue is also intending to host a “case studies showcase” which will then be followed by two separate webinars conducted by Brian and Smitha on their upcoming research papers. SMU is also thinking of delivering a white paper that highlights the dialogue’s new framework and participant’s research to date. The idea behind this is to have a primer on the main debates and conversation that participants have been having on AI governance. The document is intended to be dynamic and adaptable, evolving alongside the debate on AI governance. Findings will later be presented at a public event. The agenda is subjected to change and participants are free to suggest any other proposals they might have in mind.
- Closing remarks
Adel delivered the closing remarks and commented that it was an informative session. She recalled that when the idea of an “Asian Dialogue” was first floated around by the Microsoft team, one of Microsoft’s main goals was to convene an Asia wide initiative where topics surrounding AI governance could be explored/examined further. She remarked that this goal has largely been achieved by the dialogue participants and their lively participation. Adel also congratulated the team for how it has adapted its format in light of the pandemic – from bursary grants, to hosting online webinars/meetings, and the design of a new microsite. Finally, Adel conveyed her excitement for what is to come in 2021 and extended Microsoft’s own technical perspective for any of the participants who would like to engage with data scientists and to learn their perspectives. She proceeded to thank dialogue members for their participation and their continued interest in the dialogue.
Last updated on 04 Mar 2021 .