18 November 2024

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Penn Dental Medicine Visiting Scholar Argues for “Prosocial AI” in New Book

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In her new book, Human Leadership for Humane Technology: The New AI: Agency Ignited (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), Cornelia Walther explores the relationship of natural and artificial intelligence (AI) and argues that for AI to have a positive impact on humanity we must systematically and intentionally harness it as a force for social good.

Walther, who is a visiting scholar at Penn Dental Medicine’s Center for Integrative Global Oral Health and Wharton’s Neuroscience Initiative, has more than two decades of experience as a humanitarian practitioner with the United Nations, focusing on large-scale emergencies in West Africa, Asia, and Latin America, particularly in social and behavior change advocacy.

While AI’s development was originally driven by commercial interests, says Walther, its social impact is too far-reaching to leave it in a purely economic space. She advocates a “prosocial AI” that is “tailored, trained, tested, and targeted to bring out the best in and for people and planet. “We must not only seek to govern its consequences,” she argues, “but also make a conscious effort to prioritize human values and recognize our own agency in its development.”  

Since AI is a reflection of ourselves, says Walther, it can reveal both the best and worst of humanity. “If we feed it with data riddled with bias, inequality, and greed, those patterns will be amplified, potentially leading to disastrous consequences,” she says. “If, however, we design, deliver and deploy AI in ways that reflect our highest aspirations for equity, justice, and well-being, the technology can become a powerful force for the common good.”

Beyond its theoretical arguments, the book offers a tangible framework for action, with suggestions that include an inspiration incubator that would bring together like-minded thinkers and practitioners from a broad variety of sectors to think about the challenges that come with AI and to start designing prosocial AI applications.

One section of the book includes personal essays from a wide range of individuals—including but not limited to a storywriter, an academic, and a key leader in education at Microsoft— whose stories shed light on how real people navigate the challenges and opportunities of an AI-infused world.

Ultimately, Walther says she is neither pro nor anti AI. The technology is neutral, she says. “What’s happening right now with AI is an invitation to face our own humanity. Whether it’s a treasure chest or Pandora’s box, that depends on us. We have a choice.”

Source: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/