In Voltaire's Candide, Dr. Pangloss is relentlessly optimistic in the
face of novella's unflinching portrait of the human condition; his
opposite, Martin, is pessimistic and cynical. Today's developments
around Artificial Intelligence are being driven by similarly opposing
forces. The Panglossian approach views AI as humanity's grasping of
Promethean fire whereas others see existential risk and threats to
human safety, privacy, and wellbeing. We might hope that the reality
is somewhere in between but we must first acknowledge that we probably
have the problem framed incorrectly.
This presentation attempts to summarize my personal views regarding AI
that I have acquired on my voyages of the last 10 years. First, as a
member of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA)
leadership team in the Defense Sciences Office (2014-2017); next as
the founding director of the Applied Research Laboratory for
Intelligence and Security, the Department of Defense's
university-affiliated research center (UARC) for the social sciences
and AI at the University of Maryland (2018-2023); and lastly as Senior
Advisor for AI Risk Modeling for Biden Administration's Office of
Science and Technology Policy (2023-2024). The bottom line, upfront:
-- Current AI narratives are techno-philic and need to be re-framed
because the thorniest problems are decidedly non-technical---they
are mostly about AI's interaction with people and society;
-- We do not have the required level of scientific understanding about
AI and its effects on people and society required to establish
rigorous engineering practices and manage its use; and, lastly
-- The impacts of AI, operating at various levels in our society
(ranging from individuals to our planetary community as a whole),
are going to be uneven in scale, speed, and impact.
Rather than merely admire these problems, I would like to re-frame
them as inherently socio-technical. I will provide a practical
methodology for identifying emerging scientific and engineering
questions related to the ongoing integration of AI with humans and
society. Using this approach, I will provide several examples of
research questions that merit investigation. In the end, I hope to
provide a unique perspective on recent developments in AI and a
tangible means by which we might address these daunting emerging
challenges.
Dr. Regli is a computer scientist who has focused his career on
interdisciplinary and use-inspired problems spanning artificial
intelligence, engineering and manufacturing, and computational
modeling. Dr. Regli’s recent sponsored research activities include
verification and validation of intelligent systems; intelligent
computer networks; and the use of artificial intelligence in advanced
manufacturing. He has published more than 250 technical articles,
created two technology companies (one focused on mobile communications
for public safety, the other on information management in edge
networks), and produced five foundational U.S. Patents in the area of
3D CAD search.
From 2014 to 2017 Regli served on the leadership team of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as Deputy Director
(9/14-12/16) and Acting Director (1/17-7/17) of the Defense Sciences
Office (DSO); then as Special Assistant to the DARPA Director
(8/17-12/17). During his tenure, DSO initiated programs in areas as
diverse as artificial intelligence, design and manufacturing, social
science, applied mathematics, physical sciences and advanced sensing
technologies; in his role leading DSO he advanced the data management
and retention plans for the agency, co-developed the
“Disruptioneering” program template, expanded the DARPA Young Faculty
Award, and was the Program Chair for the “DARPA 60” anniversary
conference (9/2018). For his contributions, Regli received the Award
for Excellence for Meritorious Service (2015) from the Undersecretary
of Defense (AT&L) and DARPA Meritorious Public Service Medal (2017).
Regli’s other government service includes as a National Research
Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) (1995-1997); as a Scientific Adviser to the
U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) in the areas of information technology
and manufacturing (2010-2014;2018-); and as a member of the US Air
Force Scientific Advisory Board (2019-2021; 2022-). His community
service currently includes a role on the Computing Research
Association (CRA) Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Advisory Board
(2021-) as well as several editorial boards. Regli recently completed
service as the founding Executive Director (2018-2023) of the
University of Maryland’s University-Affiliated Research Center for the
Department of Defense: The Applied Research Laboratory for
Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), the chartered DoD academic
laboratory for the Intelligence and Security communities. For part of
2023-2024, Regli served in the Executive Offices of the President
(EOP), White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), as
a Senior Advisor for AI Risk for the National AI Initiatives Office
supporting a variety of activities.
Dr. Regli holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of
Maryland at College Park and Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics
from Saint Joseph's University. He is an elected Senior Member of both
the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and of the Association
for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI); and a Fellow of
the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) for his “contributions to 3D search, design
repositories and intelligent manufacturing”, and a Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for “work
at the interface between science and government primarily at the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.”