An interview with Columbia University Research PHD Student Ana-Andrea Stoica

We spoke to Ana-Andrea Stoica, Research PHD Student at Columbia University ahead of her presentation (22nd October 2020) at Inspired AI, the series of 10 cutting-edge and CPD Accredited business, science, tech and networking online events gathering the global AI community and hosted by world-leading AI experts #withoutborders running from September to November 2020.

So Ana-Andrea, how do you think AI will cause human contact to change in the future?

As we've seen during quarantine times, AI is already changing human contact as it's making it easier to keep connected while apart. I think AI can be used to lessen some of the current social hierarchies (perhaps students would be more confident in contacting faculty given the easiness of online interaction, or perhaps it will be easier for all of us to connect regardless of expertise or background).

If you could solve any global problem in the world with AI, what would it be?

I would focus on poverty and inequality.

Presuming that was solved, what would your second choice be?

Climate change.

What are you most excited about at Inspired AI?

I am really excited to learn from leaders in the field and to connect with industry and practitioners, to learn about the challenges in using AI within different communities, as well as about the ethical issues that AI raises and what can we, as a community, do about it.

What are your personal goals from the event?

I hope to connect to people passionate about AI and to discuss the main challenges in the development of AI and its relation to our social and economic problems. I hope to learn from other prominent figures in the field about their work, about how to bridge research, industry, and policy, and what are some of the on-the-ground issues that AI is being used in.

What do you see as the 3 most important things for businesses in relation to AI at the moment?

Some of the most important things for businesses, in my opinion, are ethics in using AI, which includes data protection, reinforcing biases, and preserving competitiveness.

What do you see as the 3 most important things for humanity in relation to AI at the moment?

I think the most important things relate to the scope of AI, in: (1) making sure we are developing and using the right AI tools to aid in our social problems but not necessarily rely on them to solve humanity's issues, (2) educating people regarding AI, both for allowing them to get better jobs with increasing automation as well as informing them about the biases that AI can reinforce, and (3) defining our terms: what privacy choices are we willing to make in using AI, what decisions are we willing to let go of as a society that are being replaced by AI.

What’s the “coolest”/ most “wow-factor" thing you’ve seen so far in with the use of AI in the sector you work in?

Probably in the way AI is aiding in medicine using image processing to aid in diagnoses and large-scale patterns of ailments that can help providing better service.

What’s your biggest fear in relation to the application of AI?

I am quite afraid of losing autonomy in the way AI is processing our data and replacing some of our decisions, in particular ones that relate to resource allocation and for which I am afraid of reinforcing stereotypes, biases, and present inequality from our society in ways that we cannot control.

Which 2 people do you admire most in the world of AI in terms of their work?

I admire most Fei-Fei Li and Timnit Gebru.

Why did you choose to present at Inspired AI this year?

I'm excited about expression a vision on designing ethical AI and understanding how human biases creep into the design of our technology, vision inspired by my PhD work so far.