IEEE calls for standards to combat climate change and protect kids in the age of AI

The IEEE Standards Association has released a report calling for engineers to consider the impact their work will have on climate change, children, and society. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is one of the largest organizations for computer scientists in the world. With hundreds of thousands of members, the group undertakes initiatives to create common standards and often consults organizations like the European Commission and OECD on matters of ethics and design principles. "It is imperative to move beyond business as usual and to prioritize the well-being of our children, starting with protecting their privacy and security online. If we fail to do this, their agency, mental health, and self-actualization as humans in any culture will be reliant on forces beyond their control," reads the report titled "Measuring What Matters in the Era of Global Warming and the Age of Algorithmic Promises." The whitepaper encapsulates change already underway at the IEEE that's in line with AI ethics principles released in spring 2019 after years of work, according to John Havens, director of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous & Intelligent Systems.