A few weeks ago, I attended the 2023 American Society of Journalists & Authors’ Annual Virtual Conference. No writing conference is complete nowadays without addressing the 300-pound disruptive technology gorilla in the room. AI.
It’s important to understand how AI works. It aggregates info it finds searching the web. Considering how much info currently on the web is biased, it’s not surprising the keynote speaker at ASJA’s Conference warned of the built-in biases AI draws from – and as a black woman, she was specifically referring to racial biases.
Even Melinda French Gates recognized the potential (given the lack of women in computer science) that “we will bake bias into the system.” In an article on CNN Business, Gates was described as “very nervous” about how the current AI arms race and the rush to implement this buzzy technology will play out for women.
And for People of Color?
This brings me to the notion of AI in grant writing. If you’re seeking support data for your grant proposal’s needs statement, how biased will it be based on race and gender? Researchers in the field of AI are concerned that AI’s tools will spread bias and discrimination on a larger scale than seen in the past. Pre-AI days.
While AI may not evoke the tale of Huxley’s Brave New World, we might be wise to look before we leap in with both feet. As for me, I’m cautiously testing the waters…
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