Setting Standards

"Is that SAE 30 weight?"

I spent a lot of time working on industry standards for heavy equipment. At times it seemed kind of silly--"What should we call this thing that attaches to a loader?" or "What is the definition of bucket capacity?" But in the big scheme of things standards make the world go round. If you didn't have standard times, or standard bolt sizes, or a common definition of a meter, all industry would be stymied. International standards for equipment safety (like rollover protection or seat belts) define a consensus view of minimum acceptable design practices. If you take it a step further--standards define some level of due diligence from a product liability perspective. Building a product that doesn't meet standard is generally considered negligent.


Well, the AI industry is starting to work on AI standards and best practices. The "Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society" is a group that includes Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, the ACLU, and Facebook. Their kickoff Board of Trustees meeting is this month.
www.partnershiponai.org


I would strongly encourage you to track what the Partnership does and get involved. Standards groups are led by industry and reflect their market and product concerns. But standards groups need the expertise of non-industry scientists who deeply understand technology, social science, and system behavior. The issues that must be addressed are huge and wide-ranging. Participating in standards development can help your research program focus on industry-relevant needs, you can make great connections to potential partners and collaborators. You might even get to draft a new ISO standard warning label: