Friend or Foe? Notre Dame conference explores ethical considerations of AI

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming our daily lives, from voice-powered personal assistants to driverless cars to behavioral algorithms. But while the technology seemingly develops at light speed, the ethics and moral considerations surrounding the use of AI are significantly lagging.

A fall 2018 conference at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business will explore the ethical issues arising from the use of AI in business and larger culture. “Artificial Intelligence and Business Ethics: Friends or Foes?” will take place Sept. 19-20 on the University campus.

The event is open to the public. Registration is required. Visit the conference website for information on fees, agenda, speakers, hotel reservations and location of events.

“The reason AI is so important is that it can make and implement decisions that heretofore were the purview of humans only,” said conference organizer Timothy Carone, an associate teaching professor in Mendoza’s IT, Analytics, and Operations Department.  “Over time, these decisions set up a pattern and it is this pattern we call ‘ethical behavior.’ We have only begun to explore the ethical implications to businesses of using AI to replace human decision-making and understand how to manage the new risks that come with this transformation.” 

Carone said the conference’s aim is to provide attendees with a better understanding of AI, the scope of the problems they should expect to see in businesses, and ideas of what to do to manage the risk of replacing human decision-making with AI technology.

Featured speakers include:

• Daniel Fagella, the founder of daily newsletter TechEmergence, which serves as an industry source for business applications of AI.
• Martin Fiore, EY Americas Tax Talent leader who has explored the implications of AI in the tax, audit and talent acquisition areas.
• Otto Berkes, the chief technology officer for CA Technologies, one of the largest independent system software companies in the world.
• Ryan Welsh, founder and CEO of Kyndi, a venture-backed software company that is changing the paradigm of machine intelligence and how it's used to solve some of the world's hardest problems.

The conference will investigate topics ranging from defining the scope of the ethical issues surrounding AI, future challenges, the implications for various areas of business (business law, talent acquisition, marketing) and potential solutions, among other subjects.

“Artificial Intelligence and Business Ethics: Friends or Foes?” is sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business and the Chase Manhattan Lecture Series, an endowment to support ethical responsibilities of business.

For more information, contact Timothy Carone, (574) 631-9322 or Timothy.E.Carone.4@nd.edu, or visit the website.

The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame is a premier Catholic business school that fosters academic excellence while promoting business as a force for good in society. A leader in values-based education with the message of Ask More of Business™, the College offers innovative coursework that integrates real-life case studies, a faculty renowned for teaching and research, international study opportunities, and interactions with some of the foremost business thought leaders.