Thread by @uwcse

#UWAllen leadership is aware of recent “discussions” involving Pedro Domingos, a professor emeritus (retired) in our school. We do not condone a member of our community engaging in a Twitter flame war belittling individuals and downplaying valid concerns over ethics in AI. 1/11

We object to his dismissal of concerns over the use of technology to further marginalize groups ill-served by tech. While potential for harm does not necessarily negate the value of a given line of research, none of us should be absolved from considering that impact. 2/11

And while we may disagree about approaches to countering such potential harm, we should be supportive of trying different methods to do so. 3/11

We also object in the strongest possible terms to the use of labels like “deranged.” Such language is unacceptable. We urge all members of our community to always express their points of views in the most respectful and collegial manner. 4/11

We do encourage our scholars to engage vigorously on matters of AI ethics, diversity in tech and industry-research relations. All are crucial to our field and our world. But we are all too familiar with counterproductive, inflammatory, and escalating social-media arguments. 5/11

We have asked Pedro to make clear he tweets as an individual, not representing the Allen School or the University of Washington. We would further argue that this whole mode of discourse is damaging and unbecoming. 6/11

The Allen School is committed to addressing AI ethics and equity in concrete ways. That work is ongoing, and many of our activities are listed on our website. 7/11

One key component is to expand the inclusion of ethics in our curriculum and prepare students to consider the very real impact that technology can have, especially on marginalized communities. 8/11

In recent years, we have added multiple classes on this topic at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and we plan to continue to work toward expanding that aspect of our curriculum. 9/11

As a school, we have stated our commitment to be more inclusive and to consider the impact of our work on people and communities. We will not be deterred, by naysayers inside or outside of our community, from putting in the hard work required to achieve those aims. 10/11

Signed,
Members of the Allen School Leadership
Magdalena Balazinska, Prof. and Director
Dan Grossman, Prof. and Vice Director
Tadayoshi Kohno, Prof. and Associate Director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Ed Lazowska, Prof. and Associate Director for Development & Outreach
11/11