⌘Corinne Cath

I am a doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on engineering culture, Internet governance and the management of the Internet’s infrastructure.

My other research interests include the impact of Internet policy, technology, and regulation on public interest issues including human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. My most recent research examines the governance of artificial intelligence and the responsibility of the technical community towards human rights.

I am part of the inaugural cohort of students that received a doctoral studentship from the Alan Turing Institute (ATI), the UK’s national institute for data science. I work with various civil society organisations, governments and businesses providing policy guidance on the ethical and political issues arising out of new technologies. Within the OII I am part of the Digital Ethics Lab (DELab).

Prior to joining the OII for my DPhil, I worked as a program officer for the “Digital Team” of human rights NGO ARTICLE 19, and as policy advisor for the US House of Representatives in Washington D.C.  I have an MSc in Social Science of the Internet from the University of Oxford and an MA in International Relations from the University of Utrecht.

Governing Artificial Intelligence

This issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A presents an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities posed in developing accountable, fair and transparent governance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. How can this be achieved and through which frameworks?

AI increasingly permeates every aspect of our society, from the critical, like, law enforcement, healthcare, and humanitarian aid, to the everyday like dating. Simultaneously, AI may be misused or behave in unpredicted and potentially harmful ways. Questions on the role of the law, ethics, and technology in governing AI systems are thus more relevant than ever before.

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Who is driving the AI agenda and what do they stand to gain?

From the critical, like law enforcement, healthcare, and humanitarian aid, to the mundane, like dating and shopping, artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be the answer to all our problems. It seems like there are meetings every other week, organised by representatives from industry, government, academia, and civil society to address the perils of AI and formulate solutions to harness its potential. But who is driving the regulatory agenda and what do they stand to gain? Cui Bono? Who benefits?

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Workshops on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and the Law: What Challenges? What Opportunities?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer sci-fi. From driverless cars to the use of machine learning algorithms to improve healthcare services and the financial industry, AI and algorithms are shaping our daily practices and a fast-growing number of fundamental aspects of our societies.

This can lead to dangerous situations in which vital decision making is automated – for instance in credit scoring or sentencing – but limited policies exist for citizens subject to such AI technologies embedded in our social institutions to seek redress. Similarly, well-intended technologists might release AI into society that is ethically unsound.

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