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Wendell Wallach

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Wendell Wallach
AI for Good Global Summit 2017
Born (1946-04-21) April 21, 1946 (age 78)
Torrington, Connecticut
NationalityAmerican
EducationWesleyan University, Harvard University
Employer(s)Scholar at Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
Websitehttp://wwallach.com

Wendell Wallach[1] (born April 21, 1946) is a bioethicist and author focused on the ethics and governance of emerging technologies, in particular artificial intelligence and neuroscience.[2][3] He is a scholar at Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics,[4][1] a senior advisor to The Hastings Center,[5] and a Carnegie/Uehiro Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs,[1] where he co-directs the "Artificial Intelligence Equality Initiative" with Anja Kaspersen.[6] Wallach is also a fellow at the Center for Law and Innovation at the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at Arizona State University.[2] He has written two books on the ethics of emerging technologies.:[2][1] "Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong" (2010)[7] and "A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology from Slipping Beyond Our Control" (2015).[8] Wallach discusses his professional, personal and spiritual journey, as well as some of the biggest conundrums facing humanity at the wake of the bio/digital revolution, in this podcast published by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (CCEIA).[9]

Early life

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Wallach was born in Torrington, Connecticut.[10] He received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in 1968.[11] In 1971 he received his master's degree in education from Harvard University,[11][3] and afterwards did a stint in India where he explored spirituality and processes of cognition.[11] In 1978 he published his first book, Silent Learning: The Undistracted Mind (Journey Publications, 1978).[12]

Career

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Computer consulting

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In the 1980s and 1990s, Wallach worked in computer consulting as founder and president of Farpoint Solutions LLC and Omnia Consulting Inc.[13][2][11] These groups served clients such as the State of Connecticut, PepsiCo International, and United Aircraft.[2][11] He sold his interests in both companies in 2001.[11]

Machine ethics

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In 2004 and 2005, Wallach taught undergraduate seminars at Yale University about robot ethics, and in 2005 he became chair of the Technology and Ethics Study Group at Yale University ISPS Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics.[14] In 2009, Wallach published Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong (co-authored with Colin Allen, Indiana University), which discusses issues in AI ethics and machine morality.[15] It is considered[by whom?] the "first book to examine the challenge of building artificial moral agents."[15] In 2015 Wallach became a senior advisor on synthetic biology to The Hastings Center,[16] which is an "independent, nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research institute" focused on "social and ethical issues in health care, science, and technology."[17] Wallach received the World Technology Network award for ethics in 2014.[18] He also won the World Technology Network award for media and journalism in 2015,[19] in recognition of his second book, A Dangerous Master: How to keep technology from slipping beyond our control,[20] which discusses the ethics and governance of various emerging technologies.[20] In this book, Wallach argues that "technological development is at risk of becoming a juggernaut beyond human control," and proposes "solutions for regaining control of our technological destiny."[20] In 2015, he received a grant from Elon Musk and the Future of Life Institute for a project titled "Control and Responsible Innovation in the Development of Autonomous Machines".[21][22]

Wallach is the editor of the Library of Essays on Ethics and Emerging Technologies,[23][24] where he co-edited a volume on Robot Ethics and Machine Ethics with Peter Asaro,[25] and a volume Emerging Technologies: Ethics, Law, and Governance with Gary Marchant.[26] He received a Fulbright Scholarship as a Visiting Research Chair at the University of Ottawa for 2015–2016,[27] and in 2018 he was named the Distinguished Austin J. Fagothey Visiting professor at Santa Clara University.[28] Wallach was appointed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to co-chair the Global Future Council on Technology, Values, and Policy for the 2016–2018 term.[29] He also sits on the WEF AI council (2018–present),[30] and is the lead organizer for the International Congress for the Governance of AI.[31]

United Nations

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In 2016, Wallach gave testimony at the United Nations (UN) Third Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Meeting of Experts on the issue of predictability in lethal autonomous weapons systems,[32] The testimony argued that "while increasing autonomy, improving intelligence, and machine learning can boost the system's accuracy in performing certain tasks, they can also increase the unpredictability in how a system performs overall. Risk will rise relative to the power of the munitions the system can discharge."[32] He later served as a member of the UN Global Pulse Expert Group on Governance and Data of AI in 2019, which called for responsible development of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to reach the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.[33] In addition, he served as an advisor to the Secretary General's Higher-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, and was cited in their 2019 report "The Age of Digital Interdependence."[34]

Personal life

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Wallach is married to Nancy Wallach, and they live in Bloomfield, Connecticut.[2] His hobbies include skiing, hiking, and building stained glass windows.[2][3]

In the media

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  • In 2007, Wallach spoke at the Singularity Summit in San Francisco, CA, titled "The Road to Singularity: Comedic Complexity, Technological Thresholds, and Bioethical Broad jumps on the Route".[35]
  • In 2009, Wallach spoke at a panel at Woodstock Film Festival titled "Redesigning Humanity" with Ray Kurzeil and Martine Rothblatt.[36]
  • In 2009, Wesleyan University Alumni Magazine did a profile on Wallach.[11]
  • Wallach was featured in the film titled Honda Dreams: Living With Robots, directed by Joe Berlinger, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in February 2010.[37]
  • In 2013, Wallach gave a TEDx UConn talk titled "Emerging Technology - Hype vs. Reality"[38]
  • In 2014, Wallach was featured in an article in The Atlantic, "The Military Wants to Teach Robots Right From Wrong"[39]
  • In 2015, Business Insider featured Wallach in an article titled "We've reached a tipping point where technology is now destroying more jobs than it creates, researcher warns."[40]
  • In 2016, Wallach reviewed John Markoff's book "Machines of Loving Grace" in The Washington Post. In the same article, Wallach briefly reviews "Our Robots, Ourselves" by David A. Mindell and "We, Robots" by Curtis White.[41]
  • In 2016, Wallach spoke at the World Science Festival on the question "Can technology lower healthcare costs?" with Eric Horvitz and Bertram Malle.[42]
  • In 2016, Wallach spoke at a Carnegie Council For International Affairs event, titled "Global Ethics Forum: The Pros, Cons, and Ethical Dilemmas of Artificial Intelligence."[43]
  • In 2016, Wallach spoke on a WEF panel titled "Human vs Machine: The Significance of AlphaGo" with Lee Sedol.[44]
  • In 2016, Wallach was a guest on an episode of the broadcast show "The Open Mind," titled "Angels and Demons of A.I."[45]
  • In 2017, Wallach spoke on an AI panel with Stuart Russell, Eliezer Yudkowsky, and Max Tegmark.[46]
  • In 2017, Wallach spoke at Davos on a WEF panel on driverless cars titled "Shifting gears to driverless" with Violeta Bulc, Carlos Ghosn and Paul Jacobs.[47]
  • In 2107, Wallach was a guest on The Wright Show with Robert Wright, where he discusses the dangers of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.[48]
  • In 2017, Wallach spoke at a WEF event "Artificial Intelligence Unleashed" with Vishal Sikka (then CEO of Infosys) and Ya-Qin Zhang (President of Baidu).[49]
  • In 2018, Wallach spoke on a panel titled "Control and Responsible Innovation of Artificial Intelligence" at a Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs event.[50]
  • In 2018, Wallach was interviewed at the AI for Good Summit by the ITU.[51]
  • In 2018, Wallach spoke at a WEF event titled "Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence in China."[52]

Books

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  • Wallach, Wendell (2009). Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong. Colin Allen. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537404-9. OCLC 214322641.
  • Wallach, Wendell (2015). A dangerous master: how to keep technology from slipping beyond our control. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-04053-7. OCLC 908671164.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Wendell Wallach | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs". www.carnegiecouncil.org. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Wendell Wallach". www.itu.int. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  3. ^ a b c "Wendell Wallach | Biography". Wendell Wallach. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  4. ^ Shelton, Jim (2016-02-15). "Shaping tomorrow's smart machines: Q&A with bioethicist Wendell Wallach". YaleNews. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  5. ^ "Wendell Wallach". The Hastings Center. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  6. ^ "Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative | AI Ethics | Carnegie Council". www.carnegiecouncil.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  7. ^ Wallach, Wendell (June 3, 2010). Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199737970.
  8. ^ Wallach, Wendell (June 2, 2015). A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology from Slipping Beyond Our Control. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0465058624.
  9. ^ "All Audio, Video, Transcripts | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs". www.carnegiecouncil.org. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  10. ^ Courant, Hartford (March 17, 1995). "H.G. PETER WALLACH, 56; CCSU PROFESSOR, AUTHOR". courant.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Almost Human". Wesleyan University Magazine. January 20, 2009. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  12. ^ Wallach, Wendell (1978). The undistracted mind. Woodstock, N.Y.: Journey Publications. ISBN 0-918038-11-1. OCLC 4884259.
  13. ^ "Wendell Wallach | Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs". www.carnegiecouncil.org. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  14. ^ "Technology and Ethics | Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics". bioethics.yale.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  15. ^ a b Wallach, Wendell (2009). Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong. Colin Allen. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537404-9. OCLC 214322641.
  16. ^ "PRESS RELEASE: 2-17-15 Wendell Wallach Named Senior Advisor to The Hastings Center". The Hastings Center. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  17. ^ "Our Mission". The Hastings Center. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  18. ^ "2014 World Technology Awards Finalists". The World Technology Network. 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  19. ^ "2015 World Technology Awards Winners". The World Technology Network. 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  20. ^ a b c Wallach, Wendell (2015). A dangerous master: how to keep technology from slipping beyond our control. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-04053-7. OCLC 908671164.
  21. ^ "Control and Responsible Innovation in the Development of Autonomous Machines". The Hastings Center. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  22. ^ Tegmark, Max (October 12, 2015). "Elon Musk donates 10M to keep AI beneficial". Future of Life Institute. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Library of Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies: The Library of Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies - Book Series - Routledge & CRC Press". www.routledge.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  24. ^ "The Library of Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies: 8-Volume Set". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  25. ^ Wallach, Wendell; Asaro, Peter (2017). Machine Ethics and Robot Ethics. Routledge. ISBN 978-1472430397.
  26. ^ Wallach, Wendell (2017). Marchant, Gary Elvin (ed.). Emerging technologies: ethics, law and governance. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-2844-8. OCLC 953823263.
  27. ^ "Wendell Wallach | Fulbright Scholar Program". www.cies.org. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  28. ^ Kovo, Yael (2018-03-16). "Dr. Wendell Wallach: Minimizing Risks While Maximizing the Benefits of AI and Big Data". NASA. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  29. ^ "Wendell Wallach - Agenda Contributor". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  30. ^ "Wendell Wallach". OECD AI Policy Observatory.
  31. ^ "Int'l Congress for the Governance of AI (ICGAI) Virtual Speaker Series". Eventbrite. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  32. ^ a b "Predictability and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)". archive.ieet.org. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  33. ^ "Expert Group on Governance of Data and AI • UN Global Pulse". 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  34. ^ "The Age of Digital Interdependence" (PDF). UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. 2019: 17.
  35. ^ "Wendell Wallach on "The Road to Singularity" - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  36. ^ "Redesigning Humanity- The New Frontier Panel - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  37. ^ "LIVING WITH ROBOTS -- Honda - The Power of Dreams (series of short documentaries) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  38. ^ "Emerging Technology - Hype vs. Reality: Wendell Wallach at TEDxUConn 2013 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  39. ^ Tucker, Patrick (2014-05-14). "Can the Military Really Teach Robots Right From Wrong?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  40. ^ Thompson, Cadie. "We've reached a tipping point where technology is now destroying more jobs than it creates, researcher warns". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  41. ^ Wallach, Wendell (2016-01-08). "Who ultimately will have the upper hand: machines or humans?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  42. ^ "Can technology lower healthcare costs? - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  43. ^ "Global Ethics Forum: The Pros, Cons, and Ethical Dilemmas of Artificial Intelligence - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  44. ^ "China 2016 - Human vs Machine: The Significance of AlphaGo - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  45. ^ "Angels and Demons of A.I. - Wendell Wallach | The Open Mind - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  46. ^ "AI Ethics Panel: Russell, Yudkowsky, Tegmark, Wallach, & Petersen - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  47. ^ "Davos 2017 - Shifting Gears to Driverless - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  48. ^ "Dangerous machines | Robert Wright & Wendell Wallach [The Wright Show] - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  49. ^ "Artificial Intelligence Unleashed - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  50. ^ "Control and Responsible Innovation of Artificial Intelligence - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  51. ^ "AI FOR GOOD INTERVIEWS: WENDELL WALLACH, Professor, Yale University - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  52. ^ "Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence in China - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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