Why does nobody mention that AI ethics panels are mostly run by the same tech companies they're supposed to regulate?

I looked up the board members for five major AI ethics groups last month and found that over 60% of them had direct financial ties to Google, Microsoft, or Amazon, which really makes you wonder whose interests they're actually protecting.

3 comments

3 Comments

margaretm231mo ago

Wait did you see that thing about the Stanford ethics board where one of the members was literally a Google VP? Like how does that even work. Reminds me of that time my cousin tried to get a job at one of those "independent" oversight groups and they asked about his connections to the industry first thing.

violamurray1mo ago

Oh wow, that honestly changes my thinking on this whole thing. I used to figure these ethics boards were mostly there to keep companies honest, you know? But when you put it like that with the Google VP and what @simonp47 said about his nephew, it makes me wonder what the point even is. Like how can you have independent oversight when the people doing the overseeing are literally on the payroll of the same companies? It's like asking a fox to guard the henhouse and then being shocked when chickens go missing. I guess I was naive thinking these boards had some real separation from the industry.

simonp471mo ago

Margaret, that doesn't surprise me one bit. I remember when my nephew was looking into a position with one of those big tech oversight boards and they asked him more about who he knew in the industry than what he actually thought about ethics. It's like they hire for connections instead of independence, which kind of defeats the whole purpose.