Take 10 with... Kerry McInerney

1. Describe your research topic to us in 10 words or less.

Understanding how AI shapes ourselves, our societies, and our world. 

2. Now explain it in everyday terms!

I’m an AI ethicist, so I investigate the social and political impact of new AI tools. While there is great excitement around AI, its use also comes with significant ethical risks, particularly when we think about how these tools can exacerbate existing forms of discrimination in our societies.

In my research, I focus on gender and race-based discrimination. I investigate what we need to have in place to be able to use and develop AI safely and ethically, and without adverse impacts on already disadvantaged groups. 

3. Describe some of your day-to-day research activities.

My day-to-day research is a mixture of desk-based research and more hands-on research activities. For example, I’m starting a new research project on AI toys, so I’m looking forward to playing around with them and thinking more deeply about the ethical risks of ‘cute’ design for children and young people.

Part of my work focuses on public engagement and communication about AI, such as giving talks to schools, companies, or community groups. Last month, I got to interview Karen Hao – the author of Empire of AI – at Auckland Writers’ Festival, which was an absolute blast! 

4. What do you enjoy most about your research?

A big part of my research is trying to puncture both the positive and negative hype that surrounds AI. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by both AI doomers telling us that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is going to bring the world to an end and Silicon Valley optimists extolling the infinite virtues of new AI tools. I enjoy helping people thread the needle between these two extremes. Ultimately, I want people to feel empowered in their decision to use (or refuse!) AI, rather than feeling like AI is inevitable, or that these choices have already been made for them. 

5. Tell us something that has surprised you in the course of your research.

The biggest surprise is that I, a humanist and social scientist by background, have ended up in a computer science department! I love being part of the School of Computer Science, and really enjoy teaching computer science students about AI ethics. I’m grateful to my colleagues here for welcoming me in and being very patient with me as I get to grips with a new discipline! 

6. How have you approached any challenges you’ve faced in your research?

One of the big challenges I face is the sheer volume of AI-related news and media, particularly since the launch of ChatGPT. Another is sometimes feeling quite hopeless about some of the more negative impacts of AI as it’s currently being designed and used, as well as the concentration of power in the hands of a few Big Tech companies. I try to meet these feelings head on and focus on what I can change. 

7. What questions have emerged as a result?

The biggest question that emerges from both of these challenges is: what kind of future do we want to have with AI? My writing and research is motivated by the belief that the way Big Tech approaches AI is quite broken, but also that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are many ways we can leverage AI for good, but these uses might not always line up with Big Tech’s profit imperative. We have to imagine different paths forward. 

8. What kind of impact do you hope your research will have?

Since my work is largely about race and gender based discrimination, my hope is that we’ll one day live in a more equitable world where research like mine isn’t necessary. In the meantime, I want my research to equip and empower people to make better and more informed choices about AI. I especially hope that this is the case with my students, and that learning about AI ethics in the classroom will help them integrate these ethical and social perspectives into their professional lives. 

9. If you collaborate across the faculty or University, or even outside the University, who do you work with and how does it benefit your research?

I love collaborating with other researchers, both at the University and outside of the University. I’m starting another new research project with Dr Karly Burch and Dr Nicole Wegner on the intersections between AI and nuclear technologies. I’m also working on my AI toys project with Dr Amy Gaeta at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge (where I previously worked). 

10. What one piece of advice would you give your younger, less experienced research self?

I would tell myself to keep coming back to my values and what matters to me, and let this guide my teaching and work. In such a busy world with so many goals to chase, it’s easy to get distracted away from why you do your research. Focus on building good relationships and doing work that is meaningful.