One of AI’s leading lights discovers the indispensability of humility
A noted AI researcher and educator who was drawn to the field by its escalating penetration of “the mysteries of perception and cognition” has found a sort of missing link in its evolution: human mindfulness of its limitations.
Or as computer scientist Fei-Fei Li, PhD, of Stanford puts it:
“For the first time in my career, [I realized that] success would depend on more than the merits of my work; it would require the humility of researchers like me to recognize the boundaries of our knowledge and the graciousness of experts in another discipline to help us overcome them.”
Li, who co-directs Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, presents her thoughts on the matter in commentary published Jan. 15 in Fast Company.
Her recent work has included advancing the subfield of ambient intelligence, or AmI, for use in healthcare.
Recounting the interior journey that led her to more deeply appreciate the human side of computer science, Li points to her mother’s struggles against a serious cardiovascular condition as one of the starting points.
“Years spent in the company of nurses and doctors—unfailingly committed, but perpetually overworked and often sleep deprived—convinced me that the power of AI could radically elevate the way care is delivered,” she writes.
Ultimately, Li has found, infectious appreciation for the power of humility, the markers of which she sees as openness, transparency and a “reverence for the expertise of others” cannot be “mandated from the top down. It must be built up from a cultural level and thus requires an investment in educational efforts to instill them in the next generation of AI practitioners.”
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.