Putting “responsibility” into Responsible AI

How can we embrace new technology while doing what is right for users, organizations, and society?

Please join Charlottesville Data Science for the talk A practical approach for putting “responsibility” into Responsible AI: Lessons from digital product consulting with Jill Heinze, Research Director at WillowTree! We'll be gathering in person at Vault Virginia on the Downtown Mall.

About the talk

There’s no question that generative AI (genAI) advancements are fueling a massive wave of product innovations and a commercial rush to be first-to-market with the next big AI-driven solution. As we press forward into the realm of new possibilities, we don’t have to look hard to find examples of AI products that can, and have, gone astray from their creators’ good intentions. How can we both embrace this new technology and also do the right thing for users, organizations, and society?

Join us to hear from Research Director and Lead, Data and AI Research Team (DART) at WillowTree, Jill Heinze, who has guided numerous client teams in critically examining their genAI ideas to ground them in a human-centered perspective that incorporates NIST’s Trustworthy AI Characteristics as outlined in the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. Jill will share how she and her team have turned this list of static characteristics into living user and technical requirements that kick off AI products on an ethical, responsible footing. You, too, can replicate this approach in your own work to better illuminate and mitigate potential risks.

About the speaker

Jill Heinze’s academic background is in History, Library Science, and Marketing, which she has translated into a 20-year research career, and more recently, into leading cross-functional digital product teams. Her mix of expertise makes her a strong proponent of the humanities, diversity, and participatory design as key drivers of responsible tech. As a Research Director at WillowTree, Jill leads her practice and project teams in delivering actionable insights and product visions for Fortune 500 clients. As a Lead on DART, she also spearheads AI governance and trains internal and external teams on how to develop AI responsibly.