CAIR Lab: Private Sector Group

CAIR Lab

Private sector group

This group aims to empower private sector organizations to develop, deploy, and finance AI in socially responsible ways. To achieve this goal, this group seeks to understand how AI is governed in tech companies, how to measure the responsibility of AI governance in tech companies, and how AI governance can be improved. In addition, this group seeks to build on these insights to create resources that investors, buyers of AI, and others can use to support companies in developing AI in socially responsible ways. The research this group conducts is grounded in multiple disciplines, including AI ethics, philosophy, and organizational psychology.

Current projects

Responsible AI Governance in Tech Companies

Our goal is to understand how tech companies manage the development of AI systems and how they can better address the unintended negative consequences that their AI may cause. We aim to produce practical insights that tech companies can use to improve. We also aim for the insights to be helpful to anyone who evaluates tech companies externally, such as investors, insurers, and buyers of AI.

We are currently looking for practitioners who would like to contribute to this research study by interviewing. It could be anyone involved in building AI or setting company priorities (not just engineers!).

If you'd like to learn more about participating, you can find the study's flyer here and the information sheet here. If you'd like to express interest in participating, you can do so here.

Group members

Onur Bakiner, PhD
Institutional affiliation: Associate professor of political science at Seattle University (US)
Background: Prof. Bakiner’s PhD is in Political Science. He also holds an MSc in Computer Science. His current research addresses the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on human rights. His research and teaching interests include transitional justice, human rights, judicial politics, and technology & society, particularly in Latin America and the Middle East.
Webpage/website: https://onurbakiner.me/ 
Selected related work: What do academics say about artificial intelligence ethics? An overview of the scholarship, Truth Commissions: Memory, Power, and Legitimacy
Geographic affiliations: US, Turkey

Ravit Dotan, PhD 
Institutional affiliation: Director of CAIR Lab, at the Center for Governance and Markets, the University of Pittsburgh (US)
Background: Dr. Dotan’s PhD is in Philosophy. She was named one of 100 women in AI ethics by Women in AI Ethics in 2023. Her background includes work in the academic, private, and non-profit sectors. Her focus is helping tech companies and investors increase their AI responsibility. 
Webpage/website: https://www.ravitdotan.com/ 
Selected related work: The Values Encoded in Machine Learning Research, Responsible Investing in AI: A Guide for VCs
Geographic affiliations: US, Israel

Irit Hadar, PhD
Institutional affiliation: Prof. Hadar is the Head of the Department of Information Systems and Co-Founder & Head of Design Thinking for Socio-Technical Innovation Research Hub. Both at the University of Haifa (Israel)
Background: Prof. Hadar’s research interests include Privacy and Security by Design, Cognitive Processes in Requirements Engineering and Software Architecture, and Sustainability in Software Engineering. 
Webpage/website: https://sites.google.com/hevra.haifa.ac.il/dr-irit-hadar/home 
Selected related work: Understanding Developers’ Privacy and Security Mindsets via Climate Theory, Cultural, Organizational, and Personal Factors Affecting the Implementation of Security by Design
Geographic affiliations: Israel

Eva Gengler
Institutional affiliation: PhD researcher in Information Systems at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg in the International Doctorate Program: Business and Human Rights. 
Background: With a feminist-intersectional and inclusive perspective, she researches the impact of AI on our society. To bring her findings also to business and society, she co-founded the think tank FemAI - Center for Feminist Artificial Intelligence. She is also co-founder of the organization and IT consultancy enableYou and has been an honorary board member of erfolgsfaktorFRAU e.V. since 2021.
Selected related work: Feministische Künstliche Intelligenz: Der Schlüssel zur Steuerung von diskriminierungsfreiem Verhalten?  [Feminist Artificial Intelligence: The key to controlling non-discriminatory behavior?], Promoting Diverse News Consumption Through User Control Mechanisms
Webpage/website: https://enableyou.de/eva 
Geographic affiliations: Germany

Arthur Gwagwa
Institutional affiliation: PhD student at Utrecht University (Netherlands). He sits on the Stanford University Internet Observatory Journal on Internet Trust Editorial board and the United Nation’s Expert Group on AI and Big Data.
Background: Gwagwa is a solicitor in England and Wales as well as a barrister in Zimbabwe with a background in human rights law including their application in the digital age. He spent a good part of his career working in human rights and democracy promotion in a number of African countries and in Geneva, Brussels, Washington, and London. He now specializes in the geopolitical, human rights and ethical implications of AI and big data. 
Selected related work: The role of the African value of Ubuntu in global AI inclusion discourse: A normative ethics
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurgwagwa/ 
Geographic affiliations: Netherlands, Kenya

Orit Keren
Institutional affiliation: Managing Partner at CoMotion 
Background: Orit is a senior internal communications consultant, with expertise in communications, marketing, and human resources. She is an expert in developing & implementing internal communication strategies and work plans, highly experienced in establishing and managing complex internal communication platforms in global corporations.
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orit-keren-43971012/ 
Geographic affiliations: Israel

Reuma Sharvit Rivlin
Institutional affiliation: Managing Partner at CoMotion 
Background: Reuma is a senior consultant and group facilitator, with over
two decades of experience in management, communications and human resources. She has extensive experience and knowledge in organizational dynamics, including strategic processes, organizational and managerial culture, leadership and HR. Reuma is an experienced leader, and led various senior leadership positions in leading global corporations. Reuma is a certified and trained mediator, with a Masters Degree in Dispute Resolution. She is also a certified Group Facilitator and a World At Work Trainer.
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reuma-sharvit-rivlin-ab865226/ 
Geographic affiliations: Israel

Gil Luria, PhD
Institutional affiliation: Associate professor at the Human Services Department in the faculty of social welfare and health sciences at the University of Haifa (Israel)
Background: Prof. Luria conducts research on organizational climate, leadership, stress, and organizational interventions. He received his PhD from the Faculty of Management at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.
Webpage/website: https://hw.haifa.ac.il/en/people/human/gluria 
Selected related work: Understanding Developers’ Privacy and Security Mindsets via Climate Theory, Cultural, Organizational, and Personal Factors Affecting the Implementation of Security by Design
Geographic affiliations: Israel

Michael Madison, JD
Institutional affiliation: Professor of Law; Senior Scholar with the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security; and Faculty Director of Pitt Law’s Future Law Project. All at the University of Pittsburgh (US)
Background: Prof. Madison writes about institutions and governance, with a specific focus on knowledge commons. His interests include a wide range of additional applications, including copyright and other intellectual property law, high technology, research science and data.
Webpage/website: https://michaelmadison.net/ 
Selected related work: Tools for Data Governance, Governing Knowledge Commons
Geographic affiliations: US

Ilia Murtazashvili, PhD
Institutional affiliation: Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs & Associate Director, Center for Governance and Markets.  Both at the University of Pittsburgh (US). Research Partner, SpectrumX: An NSF Spectrum Innovation Center.
Background: Prof. Murtazashvili is a political economist interested in the governance of emerging technologies (blockchains and AI) and in analysis of alternative rules for governing access to electromagnetic spectrum. 
Webpage/website: https://ilia.murtazashvili.org/ 
Selected related work: Government by Code? Blockchain Applications to Public Sector Governance, Blockchain Networks as Knowledge Commons
Geographic affiliations: US

Chinasa T. Okolo
Institutional affiliation: Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University (US). She is an affiliate of Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG), the Cornell Center for Health Equity (CCHEq), and the Cornell Center for Social Sciences (CCSS).
Background: Okolo’s research leverages ethnographic methods to understand how frontline healthcare workers in rural India perceive and value artificial intelligence (AI). She also examines how explainability can be best leveraged in AI-enabled technologies deployed throughout the Global South, focusing on healthcare.
Webpage/website: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~chinasa/ 
Selected Related work: Responsible AI in Africa—Challenges and Opportunities, The Limits of Global Inclusion in AI Development
Geographic affiliations: US, Nigeria

Abigail Oppong
Institutional affiliation: Independent AI Ethics Researcher at Ghana NLP
Background: Oppong received her BSc degree in Management Information Systems from Ashesi University (Ghana). She was named one of 100 women in AI ethics by Women in AI Ethics in 2023. As a researcher in AI ethics, she enjoys discussing how to make technological systems fair by removing biases and harms. She also enjoys thinking of creative methods to provide moral frameworks for the creation and use of AI.
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-oppong/ 
Geographic affiliations: Ghana

Joshua Scarpino, DSc
Institutional affiliation: Independent researcher, Vice President of Information Security at TrustEngine, and CEO and Founder of Assessed.Intelligence.
Background: Scarpino received his Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity from Marymount University (US). In addition, he has extensive experience in AI, IT, and cybersecurity, focusing in governance and oversight, cyber operations, risk management, auditing, and leadership. Additionally he has hands on experience leading all aspects of IT and security for globally distributed teams that support business operations to safeguard critical information while unifying teams and business objectives.
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuascarpino/ 
Selected Related work: An Exploratory Study: Implications of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Risk Management
Geographic affiliations: US

Deepa Singh
Institutional affiliation: PhD Candidate in AI Ethics at the University of Delhi (India)
Background: Singh works at the intersection of Philosophy, AI, Human-Computer Interaction, Ethics, and Policy. She is currently writing a dissertation with a focus on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency in AI/ML. In addition, she has a background in social entrepreneurship and public advocacy.
Webpage/website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepa-singh-6896b4171/ 
Selected related work: “Situated Ethics: AI Ethics In and With The Global South”, Grounding Explainability in the Context of Global South in XAI,  Women Farmers in the 'New' Algorithmic Agriculture Ecosystems in India
Geographic affiliations: India