Introduction to DeepNeuron’s Law & Ethics Branch

DeepNeuron is constantly looking at expanding its operations to be able to further our mission where we aim to…

“Empower students and researchers to use artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance computing (HPC) through ethical, hands-on research projects.” — Monash DeepNeuron

In today’s blog post — We are excited to introduce our latest initiative — a DeepNeuron Law and Ethics (LAE) Committee.

What does Law and Ethics have to do with AI?

It is easy to get swept up in the excitement of new emerging technologies. Whether it be self-driving cars, burger flipping robots or automated CV reviewers — they offer a lot of promise to revolutionise certain aspects of society.

What often gets overlooked is the ethical and legal repercussions that might come of such technology being developed.

What happens when a self-driving car is faced with the trolley problem in real life?

Who is held liable when a burger flipping machine doesn’t cook a burger properly and gives a customer food poisoning?

How do we ensure that AI used within a hiring process, is not unfairly discriminatory?

What is our purpose?

Ensuring ethical standards are being upheld for MDN projects current and prospective

• Educating MDN and the wider community on the ethical, legal and political issues surrounding AI
• Pioneering novel research in AI ethics and producing meaningful output
• Advocating for the safe and values driven approach to AI development

How can you get involved?

Even though the committee has only been recently formed, we have high aspirations for what we want to achieve next year. We hope to provide a range of opportunities for people from different backgrounds to get involved with internally and externally from DeepNeuron.

If you have an interest in this area or would like to hear more, please reach out to us over email.

What is next?

We will be holding our very first workshop which welcomes all! From engineering students, to law, art or philosophy students, if you are curious about law and ethics in AI this is the perfect opportunity for you to upskill and meet like-minded individuals. The workshop will be held on the Monday (28 Feb) of Week 1. Follow us on our Facebook to be the first to see the event page!

Additionally, at the end of the semester we are partnering up with the Monash Law Student Society in a Law and Ethics hackathon! Engineers you will be able to code, law students will be able to debate and most importantly, you both will be able to swap and partake in the other role! It will be begin on May 11th (more details will be released on our Facebook).

From the Law and Ethics Committee,

Julian Siedle, Scott Bennett, Amy Liberman, Erika Choong