Microsoft is collaborating with various organizations, including nonprofits, universities, governments, and other technology companies, to increase the availability and diversity of data for artificial intelligence development.
The Harvard Law School Library’s Institutional Data Initiative (IDI) is a key partner in this effort. The IDI is working to unlock high-quality datasets starting with material from the Harvard Law School Library to ensure that AI solutions are more representative and beneficial to communities.
Burton Davis, Microsoft’s vice president and deputy general counsel of the intellectual property group, highlighted the importance of these diverse data sources in a blog post titled ‘Supporting New Open Data Initiatives.’ “These collections of data contain critical snapshots of cultures and worldviews through the ages that should be reflected in AI innovations,” Davis stated.
Microsoft is also supporting CORE, an initiative spearheaded by The Open University in the UK. CORE seeks to open access to scholarly knowledge globally. Microsoft’s contribution will include providing machine access to academic research and developing ethical guidelines for utilizing academic content in AI development.
“For AI innovation to work for everyone, access to broad and varied data is a must, not just for big companies like Microsoft, but importantly also for researchers and startups,” Davis further explained. He emphasized the need to improve AI performance, safety, and minimize bias.
Microsoft’s commitment to these initiatives indicates a move to promote fairer, more representative AI systems.
