As attention increasingly turns from the technical aspects of artificial intelligence and algorithms to the ethical considerations, we may have to rethink the types of skills utilized in designing this crucial technology of the future.

Should technologists alone build our new world? Or should we complement their expertise with the human understanding of psychologists and social workers?

Professor Desmond Upton Patton, director of the SAFElab and co-director of the Justice, Equity and Technology lab at Columbia School of Social Work, has long worked at the intersection of AI, social media and empathy.

As a social worker, his research and practice centers on increasing equity for all humans and fostering diverse and inclusive environments. Patton’s insights on the psychology of trauma – which so often leads to conflict – has equipped him with the necessary tools and perspective to help lead AI into the next stage of development, from the purely technological into the moral sphere.

“A trained social worker and decorated social work scholar, Patton has also become a big name in AI circles in recent years. If Big Tech ever decided to hire a Chief Social Work Officer, he’d be a sought-after candidate.”

– Greg Epstein in TechCrunch

In a recent interview with TechCrunch, “Why AI Needs More Social Workers,” Professor Patton delivers a clear message to technology developers, revealing the real value of social work principles for AI that, in the long run, will benefit all of society:

1. Social workers treat people like human beings. They work with communities rather than make decisions for them. This necessitates a greater role for ethics-driven engagement with those who will be impacted by algorithmic systems. As Patton says, “[There is an] immense utility in leveraging a social work approach and social workers in every part of the creation and deployment of algorithmic systems. People trying to hire the best data scientists should also be trying to hire the best social worker.”
2. Social workers are trained to glean insights about people’s emotional states that others miss. As Patton puts it, social workers see aspects of the human condition that technologists don’t, the “social blind spots.” Then, they create inclusive groups of experts from all corners of society to weigh in. “We anticipate the challenges of interpreting language, culture and context and nuance,” he says. “We think about the deployment of these AI systems in diverse communities and what might go wrong... We hire domain experts, community members, some youth, some former gang involved, some former incarcerated, that really bring in their experience to help us think about how we should make meaning of language and images and how we can create the best ethical tools.”
3. Social workers understand P.R.O.P. and know what to do about it. Understanding power, race, oppression and privilege is extremely important for tech developers. Patton admits there’s a hurdle: “The scary part for them is, it might mean they lose money because the things that they [would do differently from a “PROP” perspective] may not lend themselves to more money. But they have to really contend with whether ethics are important, morality is important or whether capitalism is more important than ethics and morality... if youʼre going to talk about AI for all, AI for good, and your practices do not humanize everyone, then you really have to stop and think about what youʼre doing.”

Technology developers can use Patton’s approach to designing ethical AI by drawing on data from the collective society that avoids both error and bias. While technology may play a role in perpetuating violence, in the hands of a skilled and dedicated social work authority like Dr. Desmond Upton Patton, it can also make a positive difference.

What organizations are saying about Professor Patton:

“For us at Facebook, Prof. Patton is a valued partner and subject matter expert. An important challenge in our work of content review is understanding local context. We want to enforce our policies – to decide what content to leave on the site, and what content to remove – based on the best possible understanding of circumstances “on the ground.” By sharing his insights on youth in Chicago, Prof. Patton has provided us with a useful laboratory for thinking about how to interpret local patterns of speech. We hope to work with him to apply these lessons in other areas.”

— Peter Stern, Manager, Product Policy Team, Facebook

“The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign invited Dr. Patton to share his work as part of our inaugural seminar series called, “Harnessing Technology for Social Good.” His talk was the last scheduled seminar for the year and one of the most highly anticipated talks given the topic. Without question, Dr. Patton delivered. His talk blew the audience away. I was particularly struck by how his presentation captivated both the minds and the hearts of people in the audience, which in my mind was no easy task because he was speaking to academic faculty and 8th graders from the Southside of Chicago. Dr. Patton did a terrific job of engaging everyone in the room. At the end of the talk, Dr. Patton met with the students 1:1 and talked about his career trajectory and pathway to academia, again captivating young people in ways that was inspiring. I would highly recommend Dr. Patton as a speaker.”

— Judy Havlicek, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Illinois