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IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said that needs to be crafted with precision in a way that it should target how the technology is used and not the technology itself.
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IBM has asked industry and governments to jointly develop standards to measure and combat potential discrimination.
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Spearheading the AI regulatory debate gives IBM a chance to come back into the spotlight as a leader in cutting-edge technology, a position it hasn’t held for years.
IBM on Tuesday called for rules that are aimed at eliminating bias that exists in artificial intelligence to ease concerns that the technology relies on data that could harm women, minorities, the disabled, older Americans and others.As it seeks to focus a growing debate in the U.S. and Europe over how to regulate the rapidlygrowingindustry, IBM urged industry and governments to jointly develop standards to measure and combat potential discrimination.
“It seems pretty clear to us that government regulation of AI is the next frontier in tech policy regulation."
~ Chris Padilla, VP of government and regulatory affairs at IBM Corp.
IBM, now a 108-year old company which was once a world technology leader, has lagged behind for many years. It is trying to run to fit in the race and fixing the damage by working on newer technologies like AI and cloud services. But it is yet to show significant growth in revenue by adapting these new technologies.
“We already have conventional rules such as what a priest knows is protected, what your doctor knows is protected. We need to do it for the digital age, and then courts can uphold that."
~ Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM Corp.
Ginni Rometty's remarks came followed by the recent callout from . Through this she pointed the incident that happened with Facebook Inc. in the , when the personal data of millions of Americans was transferred to the political consulting firm without their knowledge.Commenting on this, Chris Padilla who is VP of IBM Corp. said, "I don't think we are on the same place in AI but it's not too late to try."He also said that compliance with standards could become a unique selling point for companies and perhaps help lower their legal liability.
Rometty’s appearance comes one day after IBM reported fourth-quarter results that surpassed analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates. The company issued policy proposals ahead of a panel on AI to be led by her. In this initiative they will find consensus on rules that may be stricter than what industry alone might produce, but that are less than what governments might impose on their own.Rometty is hosting the panel, which includes a top White House aide, Chris Liddell, OECD Secretary-General Jose Angel Gurria and Siemens AG CEO Joe Kaeser.
IBM also suggests that companies appoint chief AI ethics officials, carry out assessments to determine and maintain documentation about data when “making determinations or recommendations with potentially significant implications for individuals” so that the decisions can be explained.
On the same note, IBM has been working with the Trump administration since last summer on its approach to AI regulation. Earlier this month, the , which emphasized a desire not to impose burdensome controls. Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators unveiled a bill designed to boost private and public funding for AI and other industries of the future.
While Rometty is selling the new opportunities for its cloud services, the company's 3rd quarter earnings report in October has missed the estimates. After this, it was IBM's 5th consecutive quarter of falling sales. Now the company is set to report its 4th quarter results at the marketplace