RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) is a new MIT-wide initiative headquartered in the MIT Media Lab and in collaboration with the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and MIT Open Learning.
Artificial intelligence is transforming our personal and professional lives. Around the world, governments, companies, and institutions are proclaiming that we are entering the “era of AI” with the rapid development of intelligent devices that can recognize faces and interact via speech, robots that can work alongside people to help automate warehouse logistics and manufacture goods, algorithms that can generate novel photo realistic images and music, computers that can provide decision support to clinicians to help detect cancer more reliably, and so much more. In every feat that AI can do, however, there lurks potential for misuse and the spreading of inequity. AI education can help change that.
As computers continue to automate more routine tasks, AI education is a key enabler to future opportunities where success depends increasingly on intellect, creativity, empathy, and having the right skills and knowledge. Being digitally literate is no longer sufficient in the era of AI. People now need to be AI literate to fully understand the responsible use of AI. Also, the future AI workforce needs to become far more diverse and inclusive, and trained to develop responsible solutions using AI.
In the face of this accelerating change, our research and impact mission is to advance equity in learning, education and computational action to rethink and innovate how to holistically and equitably prepare diverse K-12 students, an inclusive workforce, and lifelong learners to be successful, responsible, and engaged in an increasingly AI-powered society.
RAISE is directed by Cynthia Breazeal and co-directed by Hal Abelson, Eric Klopfer, and Hae Won Park.