Technology companies, including Salesforce, are increasingly recognizing the importance of ethical considerations in their practices and there is a growing conversation about the role and responsibilities of technology companies in society.
The responsible development and deployment of AI requires a combination of human judgment, appropriate guardrails, and the use of technology tools to identify and mitigate risks.
Deep dives
The Role of Technology in Society
Salesforce, a large enterprise technology company, focuses on developing products that help their customers better connect with their stakeholders through various processes like sales, service, and marketing. Their chief ethical and humane use officer, Paula Goldman, is responsible for considering the impact of technology on a large scale and ensuring that it has a maximum positive impact. She also works on policy development to prevent the abuse of their technology. Technology companies, including Salesforce, are increasingly recognizing the importance of ethical considerations in their practices, and there is a growing conversation about the role and responsibilities of technology companies in society.
The Challenges and Responsibilities of AI
The conversation with Paula Goldman explores the challenges and responsibilities associated with AI implementation. While AI has the potential to bring immense positive impact, it is also prone to unintended consequences and biases. For example, facial recognition technology has been shown to have higher accuracy rates for lighter-skinned individuals, highlighting the need to safeguard against biases in AI systems. To address these challenges, it is essential to combine human judgment, appropriate guardrails, and the use of technology tools to identify and mitigate risks. The conversation emphasizes the importance of ongoing dialogue, education, regulation, and ethics in ensuring the responsible development and deployment of AI.
The Future of Technology and AI Ethics
Looking ahead, the conversation with Paula Goldman highlights a growing interest in AI ethics and the maturation of the field. Regulatory pressure and public debates on technology ethics are driving the conversation forward. Companies, governments, and civil society play a collective role in establishing ethical norms for technology development and deployment. The future of technology and AI ethics will likely involve a combination of human-centered thinking, technological solutions, and a holistic approach to ethics education. An optimistic outlook suggests that as technology companies continue to engage in ethical considerations and educational initiatives, there will be a greater integration of ethical principles into technological practices.
Here’s a bonus episode this week from our friends behind Me, Myself, and AI — a podcast on artificial intelligence and business, and produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group. We partnered with them to help promote their awesome podcast.
We hand picked this full-length episode to share with you because of its focus on using technology as a force for good, something we’re very passionate about. This episode features, Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer at Salesforce, and the conversation touches on some interesting topics around the role tech companies play in society at large.