Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic right now. Like you, Spitfires come across articles, advice and think pieces that relay certainty about uncertainty, anxiety of the unknown and more. Those takes do little to address the concerns and considerations many of our partners have about the harms or benefits of using this technology.
Right now, communicating leaders — especially those committed to advancing societal progress and mitigating harm — are at a crossroad when it comes to AI. As the news cycle continues to both amplify the hype around AI and draw attention to the harm this technology can create, it’s natural for leaders in our sector to feel like they have to make a choice between rejecting or adopting the use of AI tools at their organizations.
At Spitfire, we’re at the same juncture. Some of us are deeply skeptical about, and even fiercely against, the use of AI. But there are also those of us who are excited about what these tools can help us do — whether to organize our tasks for the week or help us quickly conduct research.
So, we’ve come together, pessimists and optimists alike, to develop a new guide aimed at helping you cut through the hype and make informed decisions about whether AI has a role in your organization.
No matter where you fall on the AI debate, Spitfire’s new guide, Ctrl+Alt+Ethics, is designed to help organizations determine whether and how to use AI.
As a long-term partner to public interest technology leaders, our team has had the opportunity to learn from technologists, researchers, advocates and others at the forefront of documenting and mitigating harms that AI systems and their misuse perpetuate. Many folks are rightfully concerned about the clear harms that AI presents: from the energy it takes to power data centers and the risks this poses to our physical, environmental and economic health to the exploitation of data workers driving AI systems and the stolen work of creators and beyond.
At the same time, many of these leaders have helped us realize that the problem is not the technology itself but who gets to make choices about AI’s development, design and deployment across our society. They’ve also pushed us to reimagine what’s possible when people are at the forefront of AI. And this is a vision we can all get behind.
We hope our guide will help your team make informed decisions on whether adopting this technology is right for your organization. Our team of curious learners will continue to refine this guidance so that groups like yours are equipped to make the call as AI continues to evolve.