How did your journey in AI start - what brought you to AI?
I am a social scientist (sociology) that has specialized in the intersection between technology and society. Privacy is my field of expertise, and that is also my way into AI. I led the work of writing a report about what happens when the GDPR meets AI back in 2017. The learning from that report is that the meeting between the two can create interesting dilemmas in areas such as fairness, transparency, legality and data minimization.
What is the biggest change you have observed in AI compared to when you entered the field at the start of your career?
There has been a lot of hype around the potential of AI. My impression is that the application of AI solutions has been quite limited in Norway. But I think this is changing, and we see that AI is on its way into all sectors. From talking to companies and people in research and innovation my impression is that there are a lot of questions around how to be compliant to privacy regulation in AI solutions. Also in this area we are advancing, and we are slowly building experience and best practice of how to implement privacy by design in AI.
What excites you about working in AI, and what are you working on right now?
In my little corner of AI (the privacy corner) I find it quite intriguing, but also challenging, that there is no blueprint for how to develop privacy friendly AI. In each case we need to assess the risk and put in place measures tailored for the specific use and to safeguard the privacy of the specific users of that solution.
I am currently program manager of a regulatory sandbox for AI and privacy. This is very exciting work, because we get to explore real life privacy dilemmas in dialogue with Norwegian companies. This is a unique opportunity to explore and show-case best practice examples of how privacy can be implemented in practice.
Why is it important for more women to get involved in AI?
I would like to advocate for diversity in AI. Gender diversity is important. So is diversity in ethnicity, social and economic background, age, educational background and so on. The more diversity you have in people working in AI, the greater the chance for creating efficient and robust solutions that meet the needs of everyone. I think diversity also can help minimize the risk for discrimination and adverse effects of AI.
What advice would you like to give women who are pursuing their careers in AI?
My advice to people who are pursuing careers in AI is to stay curious. AI is a rapidly changing field of knowledge, and it can be a challenge to keep up to date. A technique that has worked well for me is to be brave enough to ask stupid questions. Asking questions to make sure that I (and everyone around the table) understand what we are talking about is a very good starting point for developing responsible AI solutions.
About Kari
Laumann has an extensive background working with privacy and technology. She worked for several years as a Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Board of Technology, then as a Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority before being hired as the Vice President of Telenor in Bangkok. She then returned to the Norwegian Data Protection Authority as the Project Manager of their regulatory sandbox for responsible AI. In the process of setting up the sandbox she has been in contact with a variety of companies and organisations within the field of AI. Now that the sandbox is being set up she will be a key actor in collaboratively shaping the Norwegian approach to regulating AI