SUNDAY REWIND: Can AI create a fairer world? by Kriti Sharma

BY Eira Hayward ON APRIL 16, 2023

This week’s Sunday Rewind is a look at Kriti Sharma’s 2019 #mtpcon London talk on whether AI can create a fairer world.

Kriti, a Google Scholar and UN Advisor, looks at the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on decision making and at what product people should do to ensure it is ethical and fair.

The algorithms used by AI to make decisions are based on a combination of what they know about us, historical patterns and data, Kriti says. This inevitably is biased.

Kriti believes that product managers have an opportunity to start embedding a more conscious mindset and ensure more ethical decision making. This begins with a better understanding of the people our products serve.

We have an obsession with giving AI systems a personality, she adds. Alexa, Siri and Cortana, for example, are mostly female and help with tasks such as ordering shopping. Male examples like IBM Watson and Salesforce Einstein make important business decisions for us. There is much gender inequality in the way we design AI and machine learning personas. Kriti believes that we should do better.

Kriti also talks through some of the principles she finds helpful when designing products. AI should reflect the diversity of the users it serves. It should be held to account and rewarded for showing its workings.

Watch the talk in full: Can AI create a fairer world? by Kriti Sharma

If you want to elevate your product management game and witness inspiring and actionable keynotes at one of our #mtpcon conferences then you can secure your place at #mtpcon San Francisco today! Happening on June 14 – join us in-person or online.