West is proud of her work at the FTC, where she used her research skills to hold power to account and address issues such as the devaluation of workers and anti-competitive behavior of big tech companies. She believes that AI technologies are being used in sensitive contexts without adequate testing and validation, and that powerful institutions are using AI to justify their actions. West emphasizes the need to question the necessity of AI and its fitness for purpose, and to ensure compliance with the law, robust documentation, and transparency in AI development.
Key takeaways:
- Sarah Myers West is the managing director at the AI Now institute, an American research institute studying the social implications of AI and policy research that addresses the concentration of power in the tech industry.
- West's work focuses on the role of tech companies as powerful political actors, and she emphasizes the need for public policy and commercialization to shape the future of AI, rather than the tech itself.
- She is most proud of her work at the FTC, where she used her research skills to hold power directly to account, addressing issues such as how AI is used to devalue workers and drive up prices or combat the anti-competitive behavior of big tech companies.
- West believes that the most pressing issues facing AI are its use in sensitive contexts without adequate testing and validation, and the way powerful institutions use AI to justify their actions. She advocates for a responsible approach to building AI, starting with the question of why AI is needed at all.