A technology industry alliance, which is devoted to make sure that the smart machines don’t turn against humanity, said that Apple has signed on and will be on the board.
Google, Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, Facebook, along with Google-owned British AI firm DeepMind last year established a non-profit organization, called “Partnership on AI,” which is going to have its inaugural board meeting in San Francisco.
Apple “has been involved and collaborating with the partnership since before it was first announced and is thrilled to formalize its membership,” the alliance said on social media.
Major technology firms have already joined forces in the group, with stated aims which include cooperation on “best practices” for AI and using the technology “to benefit people and society.”
Foundation of the group came amid concerns that the artificial intelligence efforts could spin out of control and end-up being detrimental.
The companies “will conduct research, recommend best practices, and publish research under an open license in areas such as ethics, fairness, and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability, and robustness of the technology,” said a statement.
Internet giants have been investing heavily in creating software to help machines think more like people, ideally acting as virtual assistants who get to know users and perhaps even anticipate needs.
