Women in AI: King’s College’s Kate Devlin studies AI and intimacy

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To give female academics and others focused on AI their well-deserved and overdue spotlight time, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews highlighting notable women who have contributed to the AI ​​revolution. Start. As the AI ​​boom continues, we’ll be publishing several articles throughout the year highlighting key research that may go unrecognized. Click here for a detailed profile.

Kate Devlin is a lecturer in AI and Society at King’s College London. Author of Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, which examines the ethical and social implications of technology and intimacy, Devlin’s research explores how people interact with and respond to technology in the past and future. We are investigating.

Mr Devlin, who organized the UK’s first sex tech hackathon in 2016, is leading the advocacy and engagement of the Trusted Autonomous Systems Hub, a collaborative platform that supports the development of robotics and AI systems that are “beneficial to society”. She is also a board member of the Open Rights Group, an organization that works to protect digital rights and freedoms.

Q&A

In short, how did you get started in AI? What attracted you to the field?

I started out as an archaeologist and ended up getting a PhD across disciplines. in Computer Science in 2004. The initial idea was to integrate these subjects, but ultimately the focus was on human-computer interaction and how humans interact with AI and robots, including how to embrace such technologies. I’ve been doing a lot of research on things like this.

What work (in the AI ​​field) are you most proud of?

I’m glad that intimacy and AI are now being taken seriously as academic fields. Amazing research is being done. Previously, it was considered very niche and very unlikely. We are now seeing people building meaningful relationships with chatbots. Meaningful in that the chatbot really means something to those people.

How do we overcome the challenges of a male-dominated tech industry and, by extension, a male-dominated AI industry?

I don’t. We just have to endure. Still, this is shocking sexism. And maybe I don’t want to “lean in”. Maybe I want an environment that isn’t defined around macho qualities. I think he sees two sides to this. Two, we need more women in visible top positions, and two, we need to address sexism in schools and other areas. And stopping the “leaky pipeline” requires systemic change. The rise of working from home to balance childcare has led to more women in AI and technology, but let’s be honest, it’s still on us. . Consider being more flexible until you no longer need to do most of the care yourself.

What advice would you give to women looking to enter the AI ​​field?

You have the right to occupy as much space as a man.

What are the most pressing issues facing AI as it evolves?

responsibility. Accountability. There is currently a frenzy around technological determinism, as if we are hurtling towards a dangerous future. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to refuse it. It’s okay to prioritize another path. Few of the problems we face are new. What makes this particularly difficult is its size and scale.

What issues should AI users be aware of?

Ah… late capitalism.

What’s even more useful is to check the source. Where does the data come from? How ethical are the providers? Do they have a good track record of social responsibility? Do you want them to control Mars’ oxygen supply?

What is the best way to build AI responsibly?

Regulation and conscience.

How can investors more effectively promote responsible AI?

Thinking about this purely from a business perspective, if you take care of people, your customers will be happier. We can see through the ethics, so we really value that. We demand that companies take responsibility for considering human rights, labor, sustainability, social impact, etc. in their AI supply chains.