Mexico City, December 4, 2023.—Today , artificial intelligence (AI) has become a powerful tool in various areas of society. However, its rapid growth raises questions about its responsible and ethical use. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, challenges arise regarding the creation of reliable and fair systems.
Dr. Lourdes Martínez Villaseñor, Head of Academic Affairs at the Master’s Program in Data Science at Universidad Panamericana, is aware of this and therefore promotes the responsible and ethical application of artificial intelligence. It is precisely because of the steps she has taken toward this goal that she has been recognized as the Responsible AI Leader of the Year in North America.
Service to the scientific and academic community
The doctor explains that she received this recognition in recognition of her work since 2014 to promote AI ethics through various activities: publications, organizing and participating in national and international forums, and her work as an educator.
Over the past two years, he has led special sessions at the IJCNN International Conference on the ethical challenges posed by AI systems in healthcare and medicine. In addition, in 2023 he served on the editorial board for an issue of Komputer Sapiens, the popular science journal of the Mexican Society for Artificial Intelligence, dedicated to ethics in AI.
In connection with its activities serving the scientific community, it has also promoted the inclusion of three panels on AI Ethics in the organization of national and international conferences (COMIA and MICAI) and has consistently participated as an expert on these topics.
Similarly, at the Universidad Panamericana the course director and instructor for the courses " Ethics of AI" and "Ethics in Data Science" at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Trustworthy AI Systems in Healthcare
Currently, there is a great deal of enthusiasm and high expectations surrounding artificial intelligence technologies. However, they are having significant negative consequences.
When discussing the challenges she has faced in her professional career regarding the development of trustworthy, accessible, inclusive, and unbiased AI systems, Dr. [Name] notes that the main challenges relate to privacy, security, fairness, transparency and explainability, accountability, human control, and the promotion of human values.
“Applications in the healthcare sector are extremely critical, as people’s lives are at stake. In this field, the ethical design of intelligent systems is, of course, mandatory and particularly important. To that end, it is vital to uphold ethical principles when implementing intelligent systems,” he notes.
He adds: “The medical community is very cautious—and rightly so—about the benefits of AI for medicine, so it has been a seven-year journey to build bridges that involve them in the development of these systems in order to earn their trust and secure their adoption.”
He also notes that a major challenge is putting international principles, best-practice guidelines, regulations, and laws into practice.“This is still an unresolved issue that is difficult to address on a case-by-case basis, and it becomes even more complicated given the emergence of generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT, which uses extremely complex models.”
Teamwork
The doctor states that AI is transforming every sector of society. In fact, it boosts operational efficiency by automating repetitive tasks and enabling advanced data analysis.
However, he notes that“the problem is that there is no way to ensure that the benefits of AI are distributed equitably and fairly around the world, as it is a multifaceted issue that affects the entire ecosystem.”
He notes:“All sectors —academia, government, and business—must work together to raise awareness of the need to consider the ethical dimension, enact laws, and make commitments to self-governance and inclusion. For every intelligent system, the impacts on human rights and human dignity must be assessed in collaboration with all stakeholders and through an interdisciplinary approach.”
His work in other areas
Another important role the scholar plays is serving on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Preliminary Election Results Program (COTAPREP). This committee is tasked with advising on and monitoring the implementation and operation of the PREP, a system that provides preliminary election results by collecting and publishing data recorded by poll workers.
“My role will be to participate in these activities and make recommendations aimed at improving the readiness of the systems and processes for the implementation and operation of the PREP, ”he explains.
In addition, the General Assembly convened to elect the Executive Board of the Mexican Society of Artificial Intelligence (SMIA) for the 2024–2025 term confirmed that Dr. [Name] will serve as president; while Dr. Hiram Ponce, also a research professor at the Panamericana University School of Engineering, will serve as vice president, both effective January 1, 2024.
In this role, the researcher will be responsible for managing the SMIA board of directors, as well as for developing and implementing the strategic plan and fostering ties between the association and its academic, business, and government partners.
Contribute to the development of AI
“Being among the experts who can contribute directly to the development of these technologies—and thereby to the development of our country—is a great privilege and a great responsibility,” says Dr. Lourdes.
She also tells her students:“As women, we have unique perspectives, and our creativity is essential for finding solutions to complex problems.”
“Today more than ever, we need greater representation of women —both in the development of intelligent systems, where they can influence decisions throughout the entire lifecycle of these systems, and at all levels of government and business—in order to harness AI and address the challenges posed by these technologies,” she concludes.
Researcher's data
Dr. Lourdes Martínez Villaseñor, academic director of the Master’s in Data Science program at the Universidad Panamericana.
SNI Level I
Learn more about the researchers at the Universidad Panamericana their areas of research at: https://www.up.edu.mx/investigadores-panamericana/
