In Conversation with Vilas Dhar
Guest Post with Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Welcome to the second interview in my new exclusive series for Honest AI: In Conversation with. This is a Substack-only series focusing on fascinating individuals and their work in the AI and ethics space, usually discussed remotely between emails and a coffee. You can catch the first In Conversation with Albert Chun here.
My second conversation is with the brilliant Vilas Dhar, inaugural President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a $1.5 billion philanthropic institution that in Vilas’s words, ‘affirms human dignity in a tech-enabled future’. I wanted to interview Vilas for multiple reasons — one being that we share much the same readership, and plus Vilas genuinely cares about issues of ethical and responsible AI, as well as the future workforce of the futureI. Another reason is how I came across him: by exploring his Linkedin Learning class on ethics in the world of GenAI, which I found practical and insightful. Vilas is a leading global voice on equity in a tech-enabled world, member of the OECD Expert Working Group on AI Futures, and part of the Advisory Council at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). He is also, like many of us, really over the empty promises of AI and its often unfilled promises.
“I'm optimistic about AI's potential to enhance human welfare. This isn't just about AI; it's about the human-centered future we're creating with its help.” – Vilas Dhar
Transcript edited for brevity.
Background
My childhood was split between two worlds: rural Illinois and a village in southern India. In Illinois, I lived just blocks away from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. There,supercomputers and gadgets like game boys and cellphones fascinated me.
During summers in India, I shared this excitement with my family, who met my boyish enthusiasm with proud patience. My grandfather always asked, "How will this technology help the world?" This question shaped my perspective. It pushed me to consider how tech could help farmers, teachers, and doctors. Today, my work focuses on ensuring technological advancements enhance the human experience rather than merelypushing technical boundaries.
Role as President and trustee
As the inaugural President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, I've aimed to build a philanthropic institution that affirms human dignity in a tech-enabled future. We focus on equipping the civil sector with the technological capacity driving private sector advancements.
My team and I work with communities worldwide to help them shape their digital futures. We provide grant funding, advisory services, and in-house data science support to nonprofits, helping them create products for social good. We also advocate for the responsible design and implementation of AI and other emerging technologies. Our goal is to center technology on people, not profit, to amplify humanity, creativity, and innovation.
Thoughts on the ethical considerations of technology when developing and deploying AI solutions
Tech teams have a unique responsibility to prioritize ethics when developing and deploying AI solutions because of the profound impact these solutions can have on those who are often the most vulnerable. First, they must organize and understand their data, ensuring privacy and reducing bias. Regular audits are essential to maintain effective privacy policies and secure data collection practices. Additionally, promoting transparency is crucial—teams should ensure their analyses aren't biased by under-representative data.
But this is just the start. Teams need to consider how the tools they build will affect all stakeholders, not just users. They must evalu the effects on communities, local participation, power, and ownership – Who benefits from these tools,and how do we share those benefits more equitably? These are new and unusual questions for technology teams - but grounding the question close to the solution can help us build a better future.
How can we better prepare technology teams to make ethical decisions
Tech teams face unique challenges in making ethical decisions due to tight deadlines, specialized skills, and regulatory standards. To navigate these, they need a culture that prioritizes ethics, open communication, and continuous learning. Building this culture requires detailed, mandatory training on data collection and storage, norms around data use and ownership, and methods for auditing bias, privacy, and security. This means the responsibility of preparing more ethically grounded tech teams is actually quite widespread - from Boards and CEOs setting the norms and cultureto middle managers identifying key training and evaluation metrics, through to front-line staff feeling empowered to seek better practices.-We all need to own this transformation.
As a prominent figure in AI policy and human outcomes, what strategies do you recommend in supporting C-suite executives to lead responsibly in the AI era?
C-suite executives set the tone for organizational initiatives, including tech implementation. Leaders should create robust policies and frameworks, provide organization-wide training, and establish accessible monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Consider appointing a Chief AI Ethics Officer to oversee ethical practices. As executives navigate day-to-day operations, having robust frameworks and a well-trained staff ensures ethical decision-making across the organization.
What role do you think boards of directors should play in managing risks and seizing opportunities presented by AI technologies?
Boards have a critical role in harnessing AI's benefits while protecting stakeholders, includingemployees, customers, shareholders, and communities. To start, Boards should:
Institute Policies and Procedures: Focus on preventing and identifying risks related to bias, privacy, and security. Ensure pathways for flagging potential risks or ethical concerns.
Ensure Regulatory Alignment: Stay compliant with legal requirements and seek legal support when necessary.
Create an Oversight Committee: Support this committee with external AI, ethics, and legal experts to foster honest discussions about risks and opportunities.
How can leaders and C-Suite executives navigate the hype, particularly in discerning what’s real or overstated, and what drives real-world impact?
We’ve seen a fundamental shift in how much information is available for executives in the last 12 months. There's no shortage of AI commentary, making it crucial for leaders to have trusted experts help them sort fact from fiction and identify what merits their attention.
I consider the best resource to be peer learning - connecting with leaders across industries, geographies, and stages of AI adoption. Sharing experiences and insights can be invaluable in understanding what’s real, what’s overstated, and identifying AI applications that drive 10x better business outcomes. Another strategy is to establish a dedicated AI task force within the organization, composed of cross-functional team members. This task force can evaluate AI technologies, pilot new initiatives, and provide clear, data-driven reports to the C-suite. Bringing an organization’s unique local competence to AI conversations can help cut through the noise.
Looking ahead, how do you envision AI contributing to shaping the future of work and society, particularly regarding equity and sustainability?
I'm optimistic about AI's potential to enhance human welfare. This isn't just about AI; it's about the human-centered future we're creating with its help. Technology can boost efficiency, precision, and connection, automating mundane tasks so we can focus on what truly matters. Aggregated data can provide insights that guide better decisions about our environment and interactions.
AI serves to augment human capacity, helping us build a more sustainable, just, and equitable future. By harnessing AI thoughtfully, we can tackle global challenges, improve quality of life, and ensure that the benefits of technology are shared widely, promoting both equity and sustainability.
You can learn more about Vilas’s work by following Vilas on LinkedIn, Twitter, or by watching his recent Ted Talk. You can also follow his work at the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
About me: I’m Alberto Chierici, the author of ‘The Ethics of AI’, serial entrepreneur, and a passionate advocate for ethical AI practices.