Report: Microsoft cut a key AI ethics team

Contact Your Elected Officials

An entire team responsible for making sure that Microsoftโ€™s AI products are shipped with safeguards to mitigate social harms was cut during the companyโ€™s most recently layoff of 10,000 employees,ย Platformer reported.

Former employees said that the ethics and society team was a critical part of Microsoft’s strategy to reduce risks associated with using OpenAI technology in Microsoft products. Before it was killed off, the team developed an entireย โ€œresponsible innovation toolkitโ€ย to help Microsoft engineers forecast what harms could be caused by AIโ€”and then to diminish those harms.

Platformerโ€™s report came just before OpenAI released possibly its most powerful AI model yet, GPT-4, which is already helping to power Bing search, Reuters reported.

In a statement provided to Ars, Microsoft said that it remains โ€œcommitted to developing AI products and experiences safely and responsibly, and does so by investing in people, processes, and partnerships that prioritize this.โ€

Calling the work of the ethics and society team โ€œtrailblazing,โ€ Microsoft said that the company had focused more over the past six years on investing in and expanding the size of its Office of Responsible AI. That office remains active, along with Microsoftโ€™s other responsible AI working groups, the Aether Committee and Responsible AI Strategy in Engineering.

Emily Bender, a University of Washington expert on computational linguistics and ethical issues in natural-language processing, joined other critics tweeting to denounce Microsoftโ€™s decision to dissolve the ethics and society team. Bender told Ars that, as an outsider, she thinks Microsoftโ€™s decision was โ€œshort-sighted.” She added, โ€œGiven how difficult and important this work is, any significant cuts to the people doing the work is damning.โ€

Brief history of the ethics and society team

Microsoft began focusing on teams dedicated to exploring responsible AI back in 2017,ย CNBC reported.ย By 2020, that effort included the ethics and society team with a peak size of 30 members, Platformer noted. But as the AI race with Google heated up, Microsoft began moving the majority of the ethics and society team members into specific product teams last October. That left just seven people dedicated to implementing the ethics and society teamโ€™s โ€œambitious plans,โ€ employees told Platformer.

By Ashley Belanger

Read Full Article on arstenica.com

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Bioterror Roundup: CDC Director Nominee Is a Monster + New mRNA Pregnancy Studies

Bioterror Propaganda Roundup: The latest updates on the โ€œnew...

The Sacred Honor of the 56

Today we're celebrating the sacred honor of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Alligator Alcatraz: A Bold Step Toward Secure Borders

Alligator Alcatraz funded through FEMA, represents a decisive move by the Trump admin to address illegal immigration with efficiency and resolve.

New White House Faith Office Aims to Ensure US Is Beacon of Freedom for Others

The White House Faith Office wants to see the United States as the leader in advancing religious freedom, its faith director Jennifer Korn said.

Federal Reserve Rates Are Too High, Says Former World Bank Chief

Rates should be between 0.25 and 1.75 percent rather...

Newly Naturalized Citizens Say What American Freedom Means to Them

Nearly 820,000 people pledged allegiance to the United States and became naturalized citizens in 2024.

Noem Waives Environmental Restrictions to Fast-Track Water Barriers in Rio Grande

DHS Sec Kristi Noem waived federal environmental laws to fast-track construction of 17 miles of waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande in South Texas.

Trump Indicates Legislation for Hiring Illegal Aliens on Farms

Trump to allow illegal immigrants who work on farms to continue working to prevent unnecessary disruptions to farming across the country.

US Keeps Pressure on Chinese Goods Amid Vietnam Trade Deal

Transshippingโ€”rerouting goods through a third country to disguise the origin of the productsโ€”is a focal point of trade negotiations with Asian markets.

White House Report Reveals Top Earners, Staffers Working for No Salary

The Trump admin released its yearly report that shows the salaries for White House staffers, also revealing officials who arenโ€™t accepting salaries at all.

Transportation Secretary Urges Governors to Remove Political Messages From Crosswalks, Intersections

Duffy sent letters to governors, mayor of D.C., and gov of Puerto Rico urging them to remove political messaging from intersections and crosswalks.
spot_img

Related Articles