The human-centered AI conference, EGG NYC, is off to a great start! We've brought data enthusiasts and practitioners together to talk about the future of AI and how to keep humanity and empathy at the center as we drive the technology forward. We're enjoying a cloudy day in TriBeCa and we've learned a lot already. Let's dive into five of the top themes from the morning sessions:
1. AI Is a (Powerful) Tool
Our speakers agreed that AI is not a solution in and of itself, but rather a means to an end. Instead of being distracted by shiny new technologies, the use of AI must be driven by business values.
2. Augmented Intelligence Is the Ideal
Instead of Artificial Intelligence driving decisions in isolation, organizations should look towards augmenting human intelligence—with the corresponding domain expertise, emotional intelligence, and empathy.
3. Overcoming Fear to Enable Buy-In Is Critical
A lot of the hype around AI, particular black-box AI that is difficult if not impossible to fully comprehend, is associated with anxiety that jobs will be automated out of existence. In order to enable an organization to integrate AI into decision making, education across business verticals is critical.
4. Compliance Is Not Just About Legality
While GDPR and other usage & compliance legislations restrict what organizations can legally do with their users' data, it is important to ask questions about what value users get from the usage of their data and prioritize their trust to encourage ethical AI usage and brand loyalty.
5. We Need Clear Success Metrics
A lot of ML models are built just because the technology is neat or the metrics appear useful on a dashboard. But it is critical that ML efforts are driven by business needs and improving the experience for users and clients.
That's a lot to cram into one day, but the energy is high and everyone seems excited to be here. Adam Nieto, a Data Scientist at Pfizer, said that "I'm enjoying EGG and learning a lot about the future of AI. I'm looking forward to the rest of the talks this afternoon." We've got a lot more to look forward to with the afternoon sessions, featuring speakers from American Airlines, Hinge, Wired, and more.