Responsible Innovation Labs has engaged a cross-sector working group to develop a set of commitments and a protocol to guide the venture and startup ecosystem in the first industry-driven, pro-innovation responsible AI standards for startups.
Approach
The core working group has been developing a set of responsible AI commitments and companion protocol over the past five months, with contributions from startup founders, investors, and policymakers including the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Goals
In May 2023, Responsible Innovation Labs convened a multi-sector working group that outlined the following goals:
Focus on the needs of startups and investors
Develop resources that foster innovation in AI and promote constructive competition
Move fast to reduce risk and create conditions for progress on positive AI developments
Create deliverables that are accessible, scalable, action-oriented, practical, and specific
Inform and build space for effective, evidence-based public regulation
Highlight and leverage the best existing open source tools, resources, and best practices
Responsible Innovation Labs designed this Protocol as a practical guide to help companies:
Understand and adopt responsible AI goals and practices
Create and follow a process informed by validated tools and best practices to incorporate into the product development lifecycle
Contribute to the development of a transparent and responsible AI ecosystem
Working Group Participants
The core working group comprises representatives from multiple disciplines, sectors, and AI-related focus areas. Active core members include:
Aneesh Chopra– President, CareJourney; former United States CTO
We are also working closely with leading AI companies including Open AI and Anthropic, who have endorsed this effort and are actively contributing to our developing protocol. Numerous other organizations have expressed interest in contributing expertise, feedback, distribution, etc., including the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute, McKinsey, Schmidt Futures, Ford Foundation, LinkedIn, Data & Trust Alliance, the Henry R. Kravis Foundation, Business Roundtable, and Responsible Innovation Labs members.
Our working group partners are working with us as individuals and do not represent a commitment from their respective firm, company, or organization.
Interning at RILabs was an exciting and hands-on experience! I had the opportunity to meet thought leaders in the field, collaborate with the RILabs team, and develop my technical knowledge and writing skills. I appreciated the opportunity to manage and lead projects: it definitely helped me grow and succeed. If you are interested in a challenge, driving forward work that will make an impact, and developing new frameworks for responsible tech, then I strongly encourage you to apply!
- Kasandra Negrete, Summer Intern '21
Interning with RIL was an incredibly unique and fulfilling experience. At its core, this program is designed to help interns gain a better understanding of this complex industry and drive impact forward. I personally appreciated how many opportunities there were to own projects, the highly collaborative nature of the team, and the accessibility of more senior people at the organization.
- Gabby Ollig, Summer Intern '21
At RIL, I had the opportunity to think creatively and critically about complex issues in the tech space. I gained knowledge and expertise in the most complex matters involving tech, ethics, and law. RIL and its brilliant team encouraged me to stay intellectually curious and actively demonstrate my unique perspective in a notoriously exclusive industry.
- Hilary Lee, Fall Legal Intern '21
My internship at Responsible Innovation Labs granted me the space to combine my passion for technology and policy. After two months of researching the scope of tech ethics, I left RIL feeling confident that the path towards a more responsible and ethical future could be made.
- Hadiqa Shahid, Summer Intern '21
Internships
We believe that internships should be mutually beneficial. We’re interested in what drives your passion for tech and how you believe you can contribute to build an industry that is fundamentally good.
That’s why we’re committed to creating a collaborative environment where you can take full advantage of educational and professional development opportunities, while working on real projects that drive the RILabs mission forward.
Responsible Innovation Labs convened a diverse multi-stakeholder coalition that has developed a Protocol for Responsible AI. It is an evidence-based, actionable ‘how to’ guide for startups building AI technology and their investors. It translates responsible AI principles and best practices from public policy initiatives, civil society, academia and industry to meet the unique needs of the burgeoning AI startup sector.
Outputs
The working group has released a set of voluntary responsible AI commitments, which can be viewed and signed here.
The responsible AI protocol (a much-requested, actionable ‘how-to’ for startups and investors) has been developed over the last five months alongside the commitments. View the protocol here.
Our working group is in the process of iterating on the protocol based on feedback we are receiving from early adopters. We are also working on a series of resources that can be used to support the protocol and implementation of the commitments.
Rotations
Are you a tech veteran thinking about how you give back? Want to spend a few months diving into RIL's mission? Do you have an idea for a project related to our work that you want to build with us?
We offer stipends for 2-6 month rotations that allow subject matter experts to come build with us.
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