We often hear of the dark side of artificial intelligence (AI), how it will plunge us into a dystopian world of lost privacy and bad automated decisions, culminating in the robots killing us all. Professor Orly Lobel's The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future (Public Affairs, October 2022) offers a very different view – one of optimism. Orly's book is an exuberant and insightful account of the bright side of AI and related digital technologies. Her book is filled with fascinating facts and engaging stories. Orly Lobel is the Warren Distinguished Professor of Law; University Professor; and Director, Center for Employment and Labor Policy at the U.C. San Diego School of Law.

Next-generation technology, like artificial intelligence (AI), touches almost every aspect of our lives: from what we watch, to how we shop, to the way we work and more. But how much does the average person actually know about the technology that shapes many of the decisions that impact us? And with an increasing reliance on technology and computer literacy, what can be done to ensure no one is left behind? On a recent episode of TELUS International Studios, we sat down with Sinead Bovell, founder of WAYE, a community where young entrepreneurs learn about the intersection of business, technology, ethics and the future. Bovell explains that she is driven by a mission to build a progressive, informed and thriving society -- one in which technology is built on the "right side of history."

Five graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science have received Siebel Scholars awards for 2022. "Every year, the Siebel Scholars continue to impress me with their commitment to academics and influencing future society. This year's class is exceptional, and once again represents the best and brightest minds from around the globe who are advancing innovations in healthcare, artificial intelligence, financial services and more," said Thomas M. Siebel, chairman of the Siebel Scholars Foundation. "It is my distinct pleasure to welcome these students into this ever-growing, lifelong community, and I personally look forward to seeing their impact and contributions unfold." Ahuja is a Ph.D. candidate in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) whose research focuses on machine learning and sensing.

The phone in your hand, the network it runs on, the public transportation app you're using to commute… It's likely that each of them contains a touch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make your experience more efficient, seamless, secure, and personalized. At Cisco, we develop innovative services that advance healthcare, enhance education, provide remote working, improve government services to citizens, expand accessibility, and strengthen cybersecurity. We deliver technological advances that help us go beyond what is manually possible to secure a more sustainable future for all. For example, Cisco has invested in AI technologies such as virtual assistant, noise removal, real time translations from English to 100 languages and speech enhancement in our collaboration solutions such as Webex. In line with Cisco's purpose, we choose to use technology responsibly to power an inclusive future for all.

The more advanced the AI, the more that it can do. The most advanced class of artificial intelligence is called neural networks or deep learning. One of the primary challenges of powering deep-learning AI is the massive amount of data required. When analyzing talent, this requires billions of data points about people, career trajectories, capabilities, and experiences. Many companies have tried to claim the mantle of'AI.' Using only their own historical, limited pool of data results in a biased output.

WBCSD's Future of Work project brings together the insights, innovation and influence of leading companies to develop solutions for better work – today and in the future. Our vision, in which people work to thrive, personally, professionally and as active members of society, applies to all current and potential workers. Mainstreaming inclusion and valuing diversity are therefore an essential requirement when developing business solutions that will shape the future of work. Microsoft's AI for Accessibility initiative is an example of how business can support innovations that help people with disabilities overcome barriers to equal opportunities in employment, communication and daily life. Announced in 2018, this USD $25 million grant program rewards passionate developers, startups, universities and non-profits who are building and sharing game-changing AI solutions that enable increased independence and productivity of people with disabilities.

Mr Eduardo Belinchon de la Banda (Digital Innovation Manager, foraus - Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy) briefly introduced foraus, its goals and activities. Foraus is a Swiss think-tank on foreign policy. He explained that the main goal of the session would be to discuss means of developing inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI). He highlighted the large scale and intensity with which AI might change modern society in comparison to other disrupting technologies. According to him, many countries have developed strategies, principles and guidelines for the ethical development of AI and nearly all included provisions on the matter of inclusion in AI.

Sometime around 1am on a warm night in June 2017, Fei-Fei Li was sitting in her pyjamas in a Washington, DC hotel room, practising a speech she would give in a few hours. Before going to bed, Li cut a full paragraph from her notes to be sure she could reach her most important points in the short time allotted. When she woke up, the five-foot three-inch expert in artificial intelligence put on boots and a black and navy knit dress, a departure from her frequent uniform of a T-shirt and jeans. Then she took an Uber to the Rayburn House Office Building, just south of the United States Capitol. Before entering the chambers of the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, she lifted her phone to snap a photo of the oversized wooden doors. Then she stepped inside the cavernous room and walked to the witness table. The hearing that morning, titled "Artificial Intelligence – With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility," included Timothy Persons, chief scientist of the Government Accountability Office, and Greg Brockman, co-founder and chief technology officer of the non-profit organisation OpenAI. But only Li, the sole woman at the table, could lay claim to a groundbreaking accomplishment in the field of AI. As the researcher who built ImageNet, a database that helps computers recognise images, she's one of a tiny group of scientists – a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table – who are responsible for AI's recent remarkable advances. That June, Li was serving as the chief artificial intelligence scientist at Google Cloud and was on leave from her position as director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab.