April 3, 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes
How can we create a digital future where technology transforms systems for the benefit of people and the planet? The growing reach and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital data collection continues to pose issues and possibilities as technology and humanity merge.
How we think about AI and data and how we use digital tools needs to be explored from a variety of angles and viewpoints if we want to avoid net negative outcomes and encourage positive futures. Collaboration in innovation is key. Our team has contributed to two new collaborative cross-sectoral publications discussing specific concerns in the fields of AI and data and offering ways we can advance together.
The first publication is an article titled “Inclusive innovation in artificial intelligence: from fragmentation to wholeness,” published in the collective work: Missing links in AI governance. The research discussion begins with the question: “Artificial intelligence is shaping the future of humanity. But what happens when only a fraction of society is at the table that is defining that future?” A critical analysis of the current state of AI follows, along with concrete examples of how “placing inclusivity at the heart of the future we are shaping through digital technology will allow us to move from a fragmented digital age to one of wholeness that benefits all.”
The second publication is an Analysis Brief on “Ownership, Control, and Governance of the Benefits of Data for Food and Agriculture” taken from a detailed study commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and conducted by GODAN (Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition.) The central question for this research study asks: “As emerging technologies radically disrupt all aspects of food and agriculture, how do we enable legal frameworks to meet this accelerated pace of innovation while leaving no one behind?” The analysis brief offers key takeaways and insights into the intersecting issues of food security and data for agriculture and offers a “conceptual framework for engagement with data management and governance balancing the FAIR and CARE principles.”
As new technologies emerge and old technologies evolve, it’s critical to ensure academic research becomes applied action that considers how digital innovations impact our society. With these two publications, we are calling for continued dialogue from as many fields and perspectives as possible, to contribute to this global conversation.