For the past month, I’ve been assisting the United Nations (UN) with a research project on the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The four-month research post is held at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is a UN agency based in Geneva, Switzerland.
The research project is a collaborative effort between McKinsey Global Institute, IBM, Stanford University, UTS, University of Essex, and the UN. I’m helping to research, write, and edit the report that’s due for publication later this year.
This project relates directly to my doctoral research on the effects AI on economic inequality. Specifically, the impacts that AI could have labour markets, income distribution, and the potential policy responses to prevent growing economic inequality.
The opportunity came through my research supervisor, Professor Mary-Anne Williams, who is a Director of The Magic Lab at UTS and Co-Founder of the Stanford University AI Policy Hub. Mary-Anne is contributing to the report as the lead author for the chapter on the ‘Risks and Challenges of AI’.
The report is being prepared at a critical time. As society struggles to come to terms with the potential implications of AI, it’s essential for researchers to help facilitate this understanding. It’s been a great experience so far to apply my research skills to a report that’s aiming to advance the dialogue about the opportunities and implications of AI in society.