Artificial Intelligence: Societal and Ethical Implications
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: SOCIETAL AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 26, 2019 Serial No. 116–32 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 36–796PDF WASHINGTON : 2019 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas, Chairwoman ZOE LOFGREN, California FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma, DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois Ranking Member SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon MO BROOKS, Alabama AMI BERA, California, BILL POSEY, Florida Vice Chair RANDY WEBER, Texas CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania BRIAN BABIN, Texas LIZZIE FLETCHER, Texas ANDY BIGGS, Arizona HALEY STEVENS, Michigan ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas KENDRA HORN, Oklahoma RALPH NORMAN, South Carolina MIKIE SHERRILL, New Jersey MICHAEL CLOUD, Texas BRAD SHERMAN, California TROY BALDERSON, Ohio STEVE COHEN, Tennessee PETE OLSON, Texas JERRY MCNERNEY, California ANTHONY GONZALEZ, Ohio ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida PAUL TONKO, New York JIM BAIRD, Indiana BILL FOSTER, Illinois JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington DON BEYER, Virginia JENNIFFER GONZA´ LEZ-COLO´ N, Puerto CHARLIE CRIST, Florida Rico SEAN CASTEN, Illinois VACANCY KATIE HILL, California BEN MCADAMS, Utah JENNIFER WEXTON, Virginia (II) CONTENTS June 26, 2019 Page Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 2 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chairwoman, Com- mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .... 8 Written statement ............................................................................................ 9 Statement by Representative Jim Baird, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ....................................................... 9 Written statement ............................................................................................ 11 Written statement by Representative Frank Lucas, Ranking Member, Com- mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .... 11 Witnesses: Ms. Meredith Whittaker, Co-Founder, AI Now Institute, New York University Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 13 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 16 Mr. Jack Clark, Policy Director, OpenAI Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 32 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 34 Mx. Joy Buolamwini, Founder, Algorithmic Justice League Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 45 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 47 Dr. Georgia Tourassi, Director, Oak Ridge National Lab-Health Data Sciences Institute Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 74 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 76 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 92 Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Ms. Meredith Whittaker, Co-Founder, AI Now Institute, New York Univer- sity ......................................................................................................................... 120 Mr. Jack Clark, Policy Director, OpenAI ............................................................... 123 Mx. Joy Buolamwini, Founder, Algorithmic Justice League ............................... 128 Dr. Georgia Tourassi, Director, Oak Ridge National Lab-Health Data Sciences Institute ................................................................................................................ 135 Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record H. Res. 153 submitted by Representative Haley Stevens, Chairwoman, Sub- committee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ....................................................... 140 (III) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: SOCIETAL AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson [Chairwoman of the Committee] presiding. (1) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chairwoman JOHNSON. The hearing will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Good morning, and welcome to our distinguished panel of wit- nesses. We are here today to learn about the societal impacts and ethical implications of a technology that is rapidly changing our lives, namely, artificial intelligence. From friendly robot compan- ions to hostile terminators, artificial intelligence (AI) has appeared in films and sparked our imagination for many decades. Today, it is no longer a futuristic idea, at least not artificial intel- ligence designed for a specific task. Recent advances in computing power and increases in data production and collection have enabled artificial-intelligence-driven technology to be used in a growing number of sectors and applications, including in ways we may not realize. It is routinely used to personalize advertisements when we browse the internet. It is also being used to determine who gets hired for a job or what kinds of student essays deserve a higher score. The artificial intelligence systems can be a powerful tool for good, but they also carry risk. The systems have been shown to exhibit gender discrimination when displaying job ads, racial discrimina- tion in predictive policing, and socioeconomic discrimination when selecting zip codes to offer commercial products or services. The systems do not have an agenda, but the humans behind the algorithms can unwittingly introduce their personal biases and per- spectives into the design and use of artificial intelligence. The algo- rithms are then trained with data that is biased in ways both known and unknown. In addition to resulting in discriminatory de- cisionmaking, biases in design and training of algorithms can also cause artificial intelligence to fail in other ways, for example, per- forming worse than clinicians in medical diagnostics. We know that these risks exist. What we do not fully understand is how to miti- gate them. We are also struggling with how to protect society against in- tended misuse and abuse. There has been a proliferation of general artificial intelligence ethics principles by companies and nations alike. The United States recently endorsed an international set of principles for the responsible development. However, the hard work is in the translation of these principles into concrete, effective ac- tion. Ethics must be integrated into the earliest stages of the artifi- cial intelligence research and education, and continue to be prioritized at every stage of design and deployment. Federal agencies have been investing in this technology for years. The White House recently issued an executive order on Maintaining American Leadership in artificial intelligence and up- dated the 2016 National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan. These are important steps. However, I also have concerns. First, to actually achieve leadership, we need to be willing to invest. Second, while few individual agencies are making ethics a priority, the Ad- ministration’s executive order and strategic plan fall short in that regard. When mentioning it at all, they approach ethics as an add- on rather than an integral component of all artificial intelligence R&D (research and development). From improving healthcare, transportation, and education, to helping to solve poverty and improving climate resilience, artificial 9 intelligence has vast potential to advance the public good. However, this is a technology that will transcend national boundaries, and if the U.S. does not address the ethics seriously and thoughtfully, we will lose the opportunity to become a leader in setting the inter- national norms and standards in the coming decades. Leadership is not just about advancing the technology; it is about advancing it responsibly. I look forward to hearing the insights and recommendation from today’s expert panel on how the United States can lead in the eth- ical development of artificial intelligence. [The prepared statement of Chairwoman Johnson follows:] Good morning, and welcome to our distinguished panel of witnesses. We are here today to learn about the societal impacts and ethical implications of a technology that is rapidly changing our lives, namely, Artificial intelligence. From friendly robot companions to hostile terminators, AI has appeared in films and sparked our imagination for many decades. Today, AI is no longer a futuristic idea, at least not AI designed for specific tasks. Recent advances in computing power and increases in data production and collection have enabled AI-driven tech- nology to be used in a growing number of sectors and applications, including