Experts call for more diversity to combat bias in artificial intelligence

(CNN) —& Calvin Lawrence has dedicated his career to artificial intelligence. But even after& decades of experience in computer engineering,& he said& one thing remains& incredibly rare. “I’ve worked on many AI projects over the last 25 years, not more than two [of my colleagues] looked like me,” Lawrence, who is Black, said. Artificial intelligence holds the& promise& of rapidly reshaping our society, but with that promise, Lawrence said, comes the challenge of confronting and dismantling biases that can be encoded into emerging technology. Lawrence& is the author of the book, “Hidden in White Sight,” which examines how AI contributes to systemic racism. AI& is& informed& by the& data it’s& built upon and at times that data can be& racist, sexist and flawed. In August, a Black mom in Detroit sued the city after she& says& she& was falsely arrested while& eight& months pregnant because officers linked her to a crime through facial recognition technology. Detroit’s police chief& later blamed& “poor investigative work.” A 2022& study& found a& robot& trained by AI& was more likely to associate Black men with being criminals, or women with being homemakers. The team of researchers concluded the continued use of& such technology& risked “amplifying...