To give women academics and others well-deserved—and overdue—time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on notable women who have contributed to the AI revolution. We’ll be publishing several pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting essential work that often goes unrecognized. Read more profiles here.
Kate Devlin is a lecturer in AI and society at King’s College London. The author of “Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots,” which examines the ethical and social implications of technology and intimacy, Devlin’s research explores how humans interact with and react to technologies—both in the past and in the present. and in the future.
Devlin — who in 2016 organized the UK’s first sex-tech hackathon — leads advocacy and engagement for the Trusted Autonomous Systems Hub, a collaborative platform to support the development of “socially beneficial” robotics and artificial intelligence systems. He is also a board member of the Open Rights Group, an organization working to preserve digital rights and freedoms.
Q&A
Briefly, how did you get started with AI? What drew you to the space?
I started out as an archaeologist, eventually completing a Ph.D. in computer science in 2004. The idea was to integrate the subjects, but I ended up doing more and more about human-computer interaction and how humans interact with artificial intelligence and robots, including the reception of such technologies .
What work are you most proud of (in AI)?
I’m glad that intimacy and artificial intelligence are now being taken seriously as an academic field of study. There is some amazing research going on. It used to be considered very specialized and extremely unlikely. now we’re seeing people form meaningful relationships with chatbots — meaningful in that they actually mean something to those people.
How do you address the challenges of the male-dominated tech industry and, by extension, the male-dominated AI industry?
I don’t do it. We just persist. It’s still shockingly sexist. And maybe I don’t want to “lean”? Maybe I want an environment that isn’t defined around macho qualities. I guess it’s a two-pronged issue: we need more women in visible, top positions, and we need to tackle sexism in schools and beyond. And then we need a systemic change to stop the “leakage” — we’re seeing an increase in women in AI and tech due to an increase in work at home as it fits better with childcare which, let’s face it, is still about us . Let’s have more flexibility until we don’t have to do most of this care ourselves.
What advice would you give to women looking to enter the AI field?
You have the right to take up as much space as men.
What are some of the most pressing issues facing artificial intelligence as it evolves?
Responsibility. Responsibility. At the moment there is a fever revolving around technological determinism – as if we are heading towards some dangerous future. We don’t have to be. It is possible to reject it. It’s good to prioritize a different path. Very few of the issues we face are new. It’s the size and scale that make it particularly difficult.
What are some issues AI users should be aware of?
Er… late-stage capitalism.
More useful: check the provenance — where did the data come from? How ethical is the provider? Do they have a good record of social responsibility? Would you let them control the oxygen supply on Mars?
What’s the best way to build responsible AI?
Regulation and consciousness.
How can investors best push for responsible AI?
If you think about this in purely business terms, you will have much happier customers if you care about people. We can see through the moral wash, so we make it really important. Hold companies accountable for considering issues such as human rights, labor, sustainability and social impact in their AI supply chain.
