Privacy vs Fairness in Computer Vision with Alice Xiang

Today we’re joined by Alice Xiang, Lead Research Scientist at Sony AI, and Global Head of AI Ethics at Sony Group Corporation. In our conversation with Alice, we discuss the ongoing debate between privacy and fairness in computer vision, diving into the impact of data privacy laws on the AI space while highlighting concerns about unauthorized use and lack of transparency in data usage. We explore the potential harm of inaccurate AI model outputs and the need for legal protection against biased AI products, and Alice suggests various solutions to address these challenges, such as working through third parties for data collection and establishing closer relationships with communities. Finally, we talk through the history of unethical data collection practices in CV and the emergence of generative AI technologies that exacerbate the problem, the importance of operationalizing ethical data collection and practice, including appropriate consent, representation, diversity, and compensation, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in AI ethics and the growing interest in AI regulation, including the EU AI Act and regulatory activities in the US.