St. Thomas University (STU) has announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at promoting ethical artificial intelligence through a global research network and platform.
The university’s Institute for Ethical Leadership unveiled the Artificial Intelligence Research & Ethics Network (AIREN) on April 9, marking the beginning of a multi-phase plan to guide AI innovation with ethical oversight.
STU said it will partner with AI experts and scholars around the world to find, review, and synthesize scholarly works to create a collection of research resources “while tracking their reach and impact.” The experts will use AI to assist them in populating AIREN’s online database.
“Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, ‘Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do,’” said STU President David A. Armstrong. “AIREN will help society create, regulate, and innovate with AI for generations to come. AIREN is the intersection at which academic excellence and ethical leadership meet technological innovation.”
The first phase of AIREN will include the development of a free, publicly searchable research database that will aggregate and critique recent studies in AI ethics.
The second phase of AIREN will introduce an “Ethical AI Labeling Program” – similar to nutritional labels – that evaluates AI software, companies, and uses for transparency, efficacy, bias, and benefits.
The university envisions future phases that could include a design innovation lab, a policy lab for evidence-based AI recommendations, and an AI development hub focused on ethical AI applications.
As an affiliate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, STU’s efforts align with the Church’s 2020 “Rome Call for AI Ethics” pledge signed by Microsoft, IBM, Cisco Systems, numerous universities, U.N. agencies, companies, NGOs, and faith leaders.
Jaime Franco recently joined the university to serve as director of STU’s Institute for Ethical Leadership and oversee AIREN’s implementation. Henry Mack, STU’s vice president of strategic initiatives, has led the push for the university to create AIREN.
“In an age of rapid technological advancement, STU’s AIREN initiative will remind the world that societies stand or fall on the strength of their ethical values,” Mack said. “This effort is an attempt to ground the application of AI in the Common Good, in view of authentic human flourishment.”
