Insight director Prof Edward Curry. Image: SFI Insight centre for data analytics
Insight researchers will work with Genesys to develop new tools for AI bias detection. They will also investigate how to explain biases that might be present in machine learning models.
Insight, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre for data analytics, is working with software company Genesys to develop bias detection techniques in machine learning models.
Researchers at Insight’s base in NUI Galway are working with Genesys to conduct a survey and to catalogue the establishment of frameworks, methods and tools for bias detection in these AI models.
The researchers will also investigate how to explain biases that might be present in the machine learning models.
Machine learning algorithms are built on the training data that they receive, but there can be human biases within the data. These biases can alter how the AI model functions, resulting in the same mistakes or assumptions being made constantly.
Insight said one of its core activities is building trustworthy AI through the development of systems that have explainable processes.
“Ensuring decisions are bias-free is critical to building trust in AI that drives digital transformations,” Insight director Prof Edward Curry said.
“Genesys is a global leader in AI-powered customer and employee experiences, and we are delighted to partner within them on this important work.”
Genesys uses cloud and AI technology to support contact centres and customer experience teams for clients in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in California, the company established a research and development centre in Galway in 2018 following the acquisition of AI business Altocloud.
“Our newest collaboration has great potential to positively impact the future of AI development,” said Genesys chief data scientist Maciej Dabrowski. “Together, we aim to uncover important insights to ensure the ethical use of AI through improved bias detection techniques, benefiting people and businesses everywhere.”
The project forms part of Empower – a four-year programme designed to future-proof EU data flows and drive innovations in data protection. The €10m project is funded by SFI and industry collaborators.
The SFI research centres involved in the Empower project are Lero, Insight, FutureNeuro and Adapt. Last month, Adapt researchers said they had created a new approach that can reduce gender bias in natural language AI more efficiently than current methods.
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