Meta introduces an AI advisory group, exclusively consisting of White males.
Meta has announced the creation of a council of tech entrepreneurs and investors who will periodically consult with the company's management about strategic opportunities related to their technology and product roadmap. This news comes as Meta plans to invest heavily in AI infrastructure, research, and product development this year. The council includes individuals like Patrick Collison, founder and CEO of Stripe, Nat Friedman, tech investor and former GitHub CEO, Tobi Lütke, founder and CEO of Shopify, and Charlie Songhurst, tech investor who used to head corporate strategy and acquisitions at Microsoft. However, the group has received criticism for its lack of diversity, as all members are White men in their 30s or 40s.
This mirrors a similar situation at OpenAI last year, where it faced backlash for creating a board comprised entirely of White men. In response, OpenAI later added three women directors to their board. The development of AI is set to change many aspects of life, including hiring and work, entertainment, and information searching. Yet, there are concerns about the potential amplification of human biases in AI systems, which have the potential to harm certain communities more than others. For instance, women have recently become targets of non-consensual pornography facilitated by AI, and Meta's AI-generated photo tool drew criticism for its difficulties in creating images of couples or friends from different racial backgrounds. Additionally, research has suggested that Meta's Facebook algorithm targets users with job postings based on gender stereotypes, even though advertisers themselves can't target ads by gender.
The founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an organization tracking the harm AI causes, emphasizes that oversight of the design, development, and deployment of these systems should reflect the communities most affected by them: "When AI systems are used as the gatekeeper of opportunities, it is critical that the oversight of the design, development, and deployment of these systems reflect the communities that will be impacted by them." Meta did not comment on the diversity issue when asked.
In essence, Meta is assembling a group of tech veterans to advise on strategic opportunities, amidst plans to invest significantly in AI development this year; but it’s come under heat for the lack of diversity in the composition of this council. This issue echoes what happened with OpenAI last year, where a similar omission in board members led to criticism. As AI continues to transform various aspects of life, the potential multiplication of existing human biases through its systems raise important concerns about representation. Such biases could cause disproportionate harm to marginalized groups, stressing the importance of including diverse perspectives in decision-making about AI. Meta is yet to address the consistency in their lack of diversity in advisory bodies.
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Meta's strategic partnership with tech entrepreneurs and investors for AI consultations highlights their commitment to leveraging tech for business growth. However, criticism about the council's exclusive White male composition raises concerns about representation in AI decision-making, which could amplify existing biases and disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
Source: edition.cnn.com
