To give academics and other women focused on AI their well-deserved — and long overdue — time within the highlight, TechCrunch has published a series of interviews specializing in notable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We'll be publishing these pieces all year long because the AI boom continues, highlighting necessary work that always goes unrecognized. Find more profiles here.
Arati Prabhakar is director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to President Joe Biden. Previously, she served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—the primary woman to carry that position—and director of DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Prabhakar holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University and a master's degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. In 1984, she became the primary woman to receive a doctorate in applied physics from Caltech.
In short: How did you start in AI?
I took over as head of DARPA in 2012, and that was at a time when machine learning-based AI was just blossoming. We were doing great work with AI, and it was in every single place, in order that was the primary indication that something big was happening. I took over that role on the White House in October 2022, and a month later ChatGPT got here out and captured everyone's imagination with generative AI. That created a moment that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris seized on to place AI on the precise track, and that's the work we've been doing during the last yr.
What attracted you to this field?
I like big, powerful technologies. They at all times have a superb side and a dark side, and that's definitely the case here. The most interesting work I can do as an engineer is creating, mastering and driving these technologies forward, because ultimately – if we do it right – that's progress.
What advice would you give to women who wish to enter the AI field?
This is identical advice I’d give to anyone who desires to get entangled in AI. There are so some ways to contribute, from learning about and developing the technology, to using it for thus many various applications, or ensuring we manage the risks and harms of AI. Whatever you do, understand that this technology has its upsides and disadvantages. And most significantly, do something big and useful, because now’s the time!
What are probably the most pressing problems facing AI because it advances?
What I'm really all in favour of is: What are probably the most pressing questions for us as a nation as we move this technology forward? There's been a lot good work done to get AI on the precise track and manage risks. We still have numerous work to do, however the President's executive order and the White House Office of Management and Budget's guidance for agencies on the responsible use of AI are extremely necessary steps that put us on the precise path.
And I feel the duty now’s two-fold. One is to be certain that AI develops responsibly in order that it’s protected, effective and trustworthy. The other is to make use of it to do big things and solve a few of our big challenges. It has this potential for the whole lot from health to education to decarbonizing our economy to weather forecasting and way more. That's not going to occur mechanically, but I feel it's well worth the journey.
What problems should AI users pay attention to?
AI is already a part of our lives. It gives us the ads we see online and decides what appears next in our feed. It is behind the worth you pay for a plane ticket. It could also be behind the yes or no to your mortgage application. So initially, understand how much AI is already in the environment. That could be good, since it is so creative and so extensive. But it also brings significant risks, and all of us have to be intelligent users in a world empowered – or now even controlled – by AI.
What is one of the best technique to construct AI responsibly?
As with any powerful technology, if you need to use it for something, you might have to take responsibility. That starts with recognizing that the ability of those AI systems comes with enormous risks, and the risks vary depending on the appliance. We know that generative AI could be used to spice up creativity, for instance. But we also know that it could distort our information environment. We know that it could create security problems.
There are many applications where AI will enable us to be way more efficient and achieve unprecedented capabilities, scale and reach. But before we get to scale, we must always be certain AI doesn't induce bias or destroy privacy. And it has a big impact on work and staff. If we get this right, we are able to empower staff by allowing them to do more and earn more. But that won't occur if we're not careful. And that's exactly what we’d like to do, as President Biden has made clear: be certain these technologies empower staff, not displace them.
