Singapore, 8 December 2021 — The Centre on AI Technology for Humankind (AiTH) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School has rolled out recommendations on how society and organisations should approach artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that truly promote human interests and well-being.
“Most of us interact with AI systems on a daily basis, even if we do not realise it. Many of these systems are focused on promoting human performance with the narrowly defined goal to increase efficiency, and hence productivity. But to make our tech efforts sustainable and build a truly humane and creative society, we need to focus on developing tech that optimises and enriches a variety of experiences that make us uniquely human. Our recommendations guide both individuals and organisations in their AI approach,” said Professor David De Cremer, Founding Director of AiTH.
The manifesto “The Road to a Human-Centred Digital Society: Opportunities, Challenges and Responsibilities for Humans in the Age of Machines” was revealed in a webinar today. Advocating an approach that empowers human experiences of competence, belonging, control and well-being, it offers seven high-level recommendations that can provide guidance to businesses and policymakers in their pursuit of a Human-centered approach to AI (HCAI).
One recommendation is that digital transformation and the adoption of intelligent technologies should be a collaborative effort driven by unique human values, not just by profit. Prof De Cremer shared that the value companies and society want to create for end-users should serve as the basis for any kind of AI adoption and provide a lens for evaluating the appropriateness and necessity of technological interventions. It is not always the case that one should make use of all available technologies, and that judgment call is one that we, as humans, are responsible for. AiTH makes the argument that we need to educate our leaders and decision-makers in better ways so that they are equipped with the necessary soft skills to understand what building a human-centred society truly means.
For organisations that are embarking on their AI journey, it should be made clear that AI deployments used solely for cost-cutting purposes will not only fail to reveal immediate returns but will also prove to be unsustainable. Instead, cost-cutting efforts need to be accompanied by equal investments in “human upskilling” – to ensure that the abilities, actions and interests of humans are further cultivated with the support and assistance of technology.
When companies integrate AI tools with the human workforce, it is important not to treat human and machine intelligence as equivalent or interchangeable. Prof De Cremer said, “The future of work will have to be a collaborative one: where AI systems are deployed in ways that respect and connect with the skills and abilities that make us uniquely human – such as creativity, autonomy, and social belonging. We should be advancing and developing machines to serve humans in their full existence, rather than preparing humans to adapt and serve the logic of machines.”
At the webinar, Mr Yeong Zee Kin, Assistant Chief Executive of the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) gave a video interview on how AI governance in Singapore aims to adopt a human-centred approach and what its benefits would be.
The webinar also saw a moderated panel discussion on human-centred AI, featuring Prof Simon Chesterman, Dean and Provost’s Chair Professor of the NUS Faculty of Law, and Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore; Prof Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh; Prof John MacIntyre, Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Sunderland, and Chief Editor of ‘AI and Ethics’; and Prof Lim Sun Sun, Professor and Head of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Click on the following link for the manifesto: https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/aith/about-us#our-manifesto
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The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 17 faculties across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world.
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