The first Cambridge Disinformation Summit will be held in the ancient University city of Cambridge 27-28 July, with the benefits and risks of Generative artificial intelligence (AI) a major focus of discussion.
The Summit organised by Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS) will be held at King’s College, Cambridge, bringing together global thought leaders from psychology, journalism, financial reporting, political science, and other fields in an interdisciplinary approach.
Organised by CJBS Professor of Financial Accounting Alan Jagolinzer, the Summit will examine how strategic information has become “an accelerant for major societal problems such as climate change, extremism, polarisation, fraud, and suppression of rights”. Other topics at the Summit include journalistic integrity and platform accountability versus the right to free speech.
Generative AI has become an especially hot topic since recent calls for a six-month development moratorium from leading figures in the fields of machine learning, politics and education who are concerned about its potential dystopian applications.
CBJS Executive Education has wide experience in this field of research and learning, and can offer bespoke custom programmes relating to the mitigation of disinformation – including the “chaos actors” adept at manipulating markets or polarising political discourse as part of an agenda to divide and disrupt.
Audits, fact-checks, regulation and “business inoculation” are integral components of the ethical tool-kit on offer to CJBS Executive Education participants, and they are reflected in the Summit agenda.
Cambridge Judge Business School has empirically examined the efficacy of generative AI through the work of Stella Pachidi, Assistant Professor in Information Systems, who specialises in how organisations manage the challenges associated with digital transformation.
Her work explores the impact of algorithmic technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics on the nature of work; the impact of the quantification and datafication of tasks on management and organising, and how workers collaborate across knowledge boundaries.
Stella Pachidi says firms need to beware of AI “dysfunctions” that include bias that can harm operations, reputation and internal morale. She further argues that areas that organisations need to be aware of include:
- Algorithmic bias that can produce inequity by putting certain groups at a disadvantage.
- Outcomes that are difficult to explain due to the many layers that went into the AI-generated decision, so managers need to be transparent about the data used.
- Blurred accountability boundaries when outcomes are influenced by both machines and humans, so firms need to engage in advance with AI designers and users to set clear lines of responsibility.
- Invasion of privacy given the potentially huge amount of data often involved, so managers need to ensure transparency to identify what data is used and variables used in decision-making.
She also cautions that many organisations are using AI in an experimental phase so need to take care when trials are scaled up across the business including the integration with legacy company infrastructure.
For those interested in attending the summit, visit the Cambridge Judge Business School website link:
