Artificial Intelligence (AI), while an incredible technical achievement, has a reputation for being out of touch with what people always need, and isn’t inclusive by nature.
With companies across industries beginning to employ AI in their digital strategies, and as major tech companies continue to invest in technologies that include AI, it’s important to consider ways to make that technology more human in nature.
Since the beginning of AI development, there have been a number of blind spots that have left certain populations out from finding the technology useful or practical in any way. AI is going to continue being an essential piece of the customer experience for a number of companies. And they’re going to need to address the fundamental need for diversity and inclusion, the value of emotional intelligence, and the need to contribute to global good.
Read more: Self-Serve AI Interview with Jonas Ryberg, Pactera Edge
Consider Global Perspectives and Experiences
Our world grows more connected with each passing day, with people communicating with relatives, friends, and coworkers in other countries and regions. The days of a static world have completely vanished with global networks established and immigration volumes at extraordinarily high levels.
Language and conversations have an inherently geographical component, and it’s crucial for technology to keep up with the rapid converging of different cultures, languages, and perspectives.
It’s crucial for technology to keep up with the rapid converging of different cultures, languages, and perspectives.
By understanding and accounting for cultural differences, and the nuances of different dialects and languages, AI developers will be able to create stronger and more inclusive products.
There is no point to technical innovation if it only serves a certain subset of people — developers need to consider all of the people that could potentially be interacting with their technology. They should make something that is reflective of where people are coming from, where they are now, and where our world is heading in the near future.
Read more: AI Equity in Business Technology
Prioritize Emotional Intelligence
One of the common complaints about Artificial Intelligence development, and the tech industry more broadly, is that men almost overwhelmingly dominate it.
One of the best ways to improve AI technology, and make AI more human in the process, is by creating a more diverse workforce that can approach problems with different viewpoints to produce a better result. Women and members of other marginalized communities bring new perspectives, have different blind spots, and solve problems in new ways.
One of the best ways to improve AI technology, and make AI more human in the process, is by creating a more diverse workforce.
AI has transformed beyond just engineering, with the industry also accounting for language skills and social sciences. It’s important to note as the industry grows and the workforce needs new skills in order to improve, that companies begin hiring candidates with non-traditional backgrounds.
AI is omnipresent in everything we do. Development teams need to consider the larger impacts of what their technology does and how it is meant to help make everyone’s lives easier. It’s impossible to understand what underrepresented communities need from an AI product without including them on your teams, and including them in the data you use to build your products.
Read more: AI Software Trends for 2021
Contribute to Global Good
As it’s important to develop products to be more inclusive and account for a variety of experiences and perspectives, it’s just as important for AI development to work on addressing global issues. Many companies have done their work by approaching global issues locally, and not taking a wider viewpoint about how to properly solve a problem.
AI has historically made predictions on what consumers will want and need, but it’s time for the industry to move beyond this concept.
AI has historically made predictions on what consumers will want and need, but it’s time for the industry to move beyond this concept and begin understanding and drawing their own conclusions.
By creating their own conclusions through data culled from a diverse and international set of consumers, developers can properly work on bettering the needs of consumers around the world.
By understanding the true needs and addressing them, people will feel validated and included, making them more likely to use artificial intelligence solutions in the future — only helping the industry grow to new heights.
Read more on Datamation: Top Performing Artificial Intelligence Companies of 2021
