The AI Ethics Council is helping provide a framework around ethical issues related to artificial intelligence, according to John Hope Bryant, founder and CEO of Operation HOPE.
Bryant co-founded the AI Ethics Council with Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI. The formation of the Council was announced in December 2023 at the HOPE Global Forums in Atlanta.
Bryant and Altman held the inaugural meeting of the AI Ethics Council on Friday June 28 in Atlanta, where they talked about how to ensure that traditionally underrepresented communities have a voice in the evolution of AI.
The Council includes a collaboration with civil rights leaders and leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Among the Atlanta leaders involved with the Council are Clark Atlanta University President George French, Spelman College President Helene Gayle, Morehouse College President David Thomas and Bernice King, CEO of the King Center.
“One of the most important things we can do is to help provide a diverse and inclusive set of inputs into AI engines through HBCUs, underserved communities, groups and organizations,” Bryant said in a July 9 voicemail about the inaugural meeting. “We can be an effective tool, a mechanism to get diverse and deeper understanding of culture and humanity into the AI models so they are more humane.”
Bryant said the AI Ethics Council also discussed concerns and hopes that surround AI.
“We reconfirmed that the opportunities at the moment outweigh the fears,” said Bryant, who said the issues are still evolving. “The fears are real. Mostly my fear is around the world, there are people who don’t have ethics or integrity or values, which is why it’s important to get the good guys, the good ladies, the good companies that are actually controlling AI’s evolution… to get them to have market presence and hopefully market leadership in the AI space so that we embed those companies with the right values.”
Bryant said one of the biggest fears is the negative impact will have on jobs.
“I’m just convinced that tens of millions of jobs are going to go poof, particularly for people of color, who are doing jobs that easily can be replaced, like counter clerks — from CVS to grocery stores to fast food restaurants. It’s so easy to replace these with automation and robotics. A lot of low-end customer service jobs will just go poof.”
But Bryant added that middle-class folks also should be concerned. He believes AI will impact jobs in accounting and in the legal field.
“I think everybody has to reimagine what the future looks like and make sure that humans have a meaningful place in it,” Bryant said. “Opportunity for all is now something we’re putting at the forefront of the AI Ethics Council as we look for not just the ethical issues, but the opportunity issues.”
Bryant said the AI Council will have dual guardrails going forward — looking at the risks and the opportunities – for the new generation.
“The future includes all of us,” Bryant said. “It’s like one huge software upgrade.”
Bryant said the AI Council also confirmed earlier this week that Van Jones, the American political analyst and media personal who is a civil rights advocate, will be joining the group.
“Van Jones said to me that 99 percent of black folks don’t understand AI, but also 99 percent of white folks — rich and poor — don’t really understand AI,” Bryant said. “It’s the first time everybody gets to start at the same place. It’s sort of unintentionally even ground, and that actually is a point a place of optimism.”
Bryant will soon convene a meeting of tech leaders to advance issues related to artificial intelligence.
Also, the AI Ethics Council’s website has just gone live, serving as a way for people to stay updated on the work of the organization.
“Its substance will grow, expand, and deepen over time,” Bryant said in a statement. “Transparency will be a hallmark. I encourage all citizens, here and abroad, to get informed and educated around what AI really is and isn’t.”
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