Ateneo and IBM Think Day challenges students to reflect on AI ethics

Ateneo de Manila University's Department of Information and Computer Science and the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences, with assistance from IBM, hosted "Think Day: Responsible Tech" at the Doreen Black Box Theatre in Areté, on 24 November 2023.

The event had Ateneo college students joining two focus group discussions with members of IBM's Trust & Compliance team. Here, they were given the chance to raise their concerns and ask questions about artificial intelligence as they pondered the question of AI ethics.

The first focus group discussion was titled "Why AI Ethics? Why Now?," while the second was "Let's Create Our Future."

The event opened with Dr Maria Mercedes T Rodrigo, head of the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences, giving a short address. Here she introduced the guests from IBM, led by Aileen Judan-Jiao, IBM Philippines President and Country General Manager.

Ms Judan-Jiao, herself an Ateneo graduate ('88 BS Computer Science), then took to the stage were she introduced IBM's Trust & Compliance Team and thanked Ateneo for giving them the chance to talk to the students about AI.

During her address, she stated that "AI is real, it has landed, it is here, and we are using it, it's in our backyard."

"When you have good technology, you may also use technology 'for the bad,'" she added, broaching the topic of AI and ethics.

She then emphasized the importance of learning the technology and how "to use AI for the good."

Following Ms Judan-Jiao's opening remarks, members of the IBM Trust & Compliance went up to the stage to showcase some of what the company is doing to address the issue of AI ethics and retain the trust of all the stakeholders involved. The students then broke out into a number of smaller circles, each with a member of IBM's Trust & Compliance team, where the students could raise questions and discuss points.

Following the breakout, the students got back together to share some of the thoughts and ideas they discussed with the group.

Some of these thoughts from the first session included the need to acknowledge the risks that come with AI, more discussions on how AI can both harm and help people, and regulation not just for AI but for people creating and using the technology.

The breakouts from the second session shared similar sentiments, while also raising concerns about transparency and explainability when it comes to AI, as well as how it can affect people's livelihoods.

In closing the event Ms Judan-Jiao stated that she "loved the passion" shown by the students on the subject of AI ethics and how eager they were to share their concerns. She stated that the students' passionate response demonstrated the importance of raising more awareness about AI and the issues surrounding the technology She also stated that events such as Think Day were an important part of this process.