Trust

In this illuminating episode, Dominique is joined by Sowmyanarayan Sampath, Executive Vice President and CEO of Verizon Consumer. Sampath provides insights into how Verizon is pioneering the responsible deployment of AI to enhance customer experiences and drive productivity. He emphasizes the importance of establishing an organizational culture rooted in trust and ethics when working with AI. Sampath discusses key AI use cases at Verizon, from reducing cognitive load for frontline employees to enabling hyper-personalization for 72 million customers. He underscores privacy and governance as cornerstones, outlining processes like human oversight and cross-functional review boards. The conversation also explores upskilling the workforce, communicating cultural values to AI systems, and the vital role of leadership in ethical AI adoption. Looking ahead, Sampath sees AI as a productivity catalyst and deflationary force that could reshape the economy. He envisions Verizon becoming the world's best "applied AI company" while prioritizing responsible development aligned with its principles. The episode provides a commanding perspective on steering AI innovation with trust and humanity at the forefront.

Award-winning journalist Emily Chang joins host Dominique Shelton Leipzig to discuss AI innovation, governance, and the ever-evolving dynamic between tech leaders and world governments. Fresh off moderating conversations on AI at the UN General Assembly, Emily provides behind-the-scenes insights from the meeting of top minds across the private sector, policy circles, and the global community. Dominique and Emily examine mounting public-private partnerships to steer AI for the greater good, plus opportunities and obligations for businesses implementing these exponentially powerful technologies. Can startups keep pace? And are existing ethical guardrails enough? An illuminating discussion on aligning AI and the public interest.

About Emily Chang: Emily is the leading television journalist in Silicon Valley and a host and executive producer at Bloomberg Originals. She’s the host of “The Circuit with Emily Chang,” a television and podcast series that focuses on the intersection of technology, entertainment and business. Based in San Francisco, Chang anchored the daily “Bloomberg Technology” program on Bloomberg Television for twelve years, along with the interview series “Studio 1.0.” She’s also the author of “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley,” an instant national bestseller, and has played herself in several cameos on HBO’s “Silicon Valley.”Chang regularly speaks to top executives, investors and entrepreneurs, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. She has also interviewed some of the most prominent leaders in Hollywood, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, Netflix founder Reed Hastings and producer Aaron Sorkin, along with cultural icons like tennis great Serena Williams.Before joining Bloomberg in 2010, Chang served as an international correspondent for CNN in Beijing and London. She won five Emmy Awards for her reporting as KNSD, NBC’s affiliate in San Diego and started her career as a news producer at NBC in New York. Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, Chang graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and four children.

On this episode of Trust, Dominique is joined by pioneer in AI ethics Kay Firth-Butterfield. As former Head of AI at the World Economic Forum and current CEO of Good Tech Advisory, Kay has been at the forefront of governance and ethics in artificial intelligence. Dominique and Kay discuss the promises and perils of AI, including how to maximize its benefits while mitigating potential risks. What principles and frameworks are needed to guide ethical AI development? Drawing on her groundbreaking work, Kay provides insights into building trustworthy AI systems. She argues AI should amplify human capabilities, not replace them. But achieving this future requires collaboration between companies, governments and civil society. Kay offers a powerful vision for an equitable AI future that serves all of humanity. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on the collective effort required to shape AI for good.

In the conclusion of Dominique’s conversation with Suresh Venkatasubramanian, the two discuss his work on the AI Bill of Rights and Technical Companion which offer guidance on ethical, responsible AI development. Suresh explains the need to continuously monitor AI after deployment, unlike traditional software. He stresses that while beneficial, AI requires constant maintenance and supervision. They explore potential business benefits of investing in trustworthy AI, though costs come first while rewards follow later. Reputations can quickly change if AI problems arise. Transparency, monitoring systems, and documenting how they work is key.


Show Notes:

• Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights here.
• Technical Companion for the AI Bill of Rights here (at page 11)
• Pregnant Woman Falsely Accused of Carjacking By Facial Recognition Glitch
• Study shows Trusted Companies Outperform their Peers by 400%
• Survey: In AI We Do Not Trust
• California, August 17, 2023, Joint Resolution affirming the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights (SCR 17)
• Connecticut, June 2023 law establishing a working group to assess the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights called SB 1103

Dominique’s Disclaimer: The views expressed are my own and do not constitute legal advice, nor do they constitute an attorney-client relationship. They also do not represent the views of my employer.

How can we develop AI that augments human capabilities without eroding human rights? That's the question guiding Dominique’s guest, Dr. Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a leading expert on algorithmic fairness and the societal impacts of AI. Suresh recently co-authored the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights while serving in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dominique and Suresh discuss pressing ethical issues surrounding AI development, including privacy, accountability, and bias in AI systems. Dr. Venkatasubramanian also provides a perspective on regulating AI responsibly without stifling innovation. With his deep technical expertise and public policy experience, Suresh offers an illuminating look at how to build an AI-powered future that uplifts humanity.

Show Notes:

• Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights here.
• Technical Companion for the AI Bill of Rights here (at page 11)
• Pregnant Woman Falsely Accused of Carjacking By Facial Recognition Glitch
• Study shows Trusted Companies Outperform their Peers by 400%
• Survey: In AI We Do Not Trust
• California, August 17, 2023, Joint Resolution affirming the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights (SCR 17)
• Connecticut, June 2023 law establishing a working group to assess the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights called SB 1103

Dominique’s Disclaimer: The views expressed are my own and do not constitute legal advice, nor do they constitute an attorney-client relationship. They also do not represent the views of my employer.