Insights on the ethics of AI from Dr Caroline Green's trip to Dharamsala, India

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Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

In March this year, Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green, Director of Research and Head of Public Engagement at the Institute for Ethics in AI, spent a week in Dharamsala, India, together with Ambassador Audrey Tang, Senior Accelerator Fellow at the Institute for Ethics in AI and their collaborator Tenzin Yangtso, to learn from the Tibetan Buddhist community about their approach to the ethics of AI.  

Guided by two Buddhist scholars, Geshe Lodoe Sangpo and Geshe Thabke, the small delegation aimed to explore how Buddhist ethics can inform some of the biggest questions in the ethics of AI. They visited local communities and groups, including the Dolma Ling Nunnery, the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives and a local care home for older Tibetan refugees.  

Highlights of the trip included Caroline and Tenzin Yangtso meeting His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. They obtained what is understood to be his first public statement on AI ethics. His response to their question on how AI can serve humanity, he responded: 

Although these [referring to AI systems] may have many functions, ultimately it depends on the human mind. Therefore, no matter how sophisticated they become, they cannot keep up with the pace of the human mind… For instance, my own thoughts are changing moment by moment. 

Read more about the relevance of religion for AI ethics: Expert Comment: Faith meets code - the growing role of theology for AI ethics

Another highlight was the delegation's visit to Monlam IT, to see how this team of computer scientists are using AI to preserve the Tibetan language. Caroline's visit to Tong-Len School, opened by Geshe Jamyang in 2017 to educate the children of some of the poorest families in the region, left a particular mark on her.  

In two podcast episodes now available, Caroline discusses some key moments of her visit and together with Geshe Sangpo explores some core concepts of Buddhist ethics like compassion in relation to AI ethics. 

You can listen to the podcast episodes here:

• Lessons from Buddhist ethics for AI: A conversation with Geshe Lodoe Sangpo
• Civic AI: The Dalai Lama, Buddhism and the Future of AI. A Conversation with Dr Caroline Green 

The trip has heavily informed Ambassador Audrey Tang's and Dr Caroline Green's work on 'Civic AI' and the '6 pack-of-care'. To find out more about their work, visit: civic.ai

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Photos from the trip to Dharamsala, India