Sean McGregor

Dr. Sean McGregor, a machine learning safety researcher and founder of several initiatives like the AI Incident Database, delves into the complexities of AI evaluation. He critiques the flaws in current benchmarking practices, emphasizing their vulnerability to training-data leakage and real-world misalignment. Sean introduces BenchRisk, a new framework aimed at improving benchmark trustworthiness. He also discusses the founding of AVERI, a nonprofit focused on frontier model auditing to ensure responsible AI deployment and navigate the tension between market and regulatory safety.

In this engaging discussion, Sean McGregor, ML architect at Syntiant and creator of the AI Incident Database, dives into the critical role of incident documentation in improving AI safety. He shares compelling case studies from Google and Tesla, emphasizing harm classification and prevention. McGregor also sheds light on the cultural aspects of AI through the XPRIZE initiative, illustrating its global impact. He balances the vibrant dualities of AI as a tool and a potential threat while sharing personal stories from his pandemic experiences.