Photo credits: Wenjie Dong/Getty Images and Adam Russell
“I believe in thinking hard about good problems,” said Adam Russell, the new director of AI. Information Science Institute (ISI)is a research institute. USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
ISI was founded in 1972 to “solve the world’s most difficult technical problems”. The most difficult problems facing the computing field today, especially AI, are not necessarily technical. They range from the ethical to the existential. This may explain Russell’s reasoning. A social anthropologist with a PhD from Oxford University. Rhodes Scholar – He is qualified for the job.
“Especially for AI, difficult There is a problem topical I have a problem, really important problem. And I think it’s going to be extremely important to address these key issues if we’re going to enable AI forever. I look forward to working with his AI department to support and help the department members become leaders as technical and thought leaders on these important issues,” said Russell. said.
ISI’s AI Division is one of the world’s largest AI research groups with over 170 faculty, research staff and graduate students. The department conducts fundamental and applied research in all areas of AI, including machine learning, natural language, image and video processing, knowledge graphs, common sense reasoning, data science, computational social science, and AI fairness.
“We had the opportunity to meet Adam Russell at the unveiling of the University of Southern California Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. this spring and look forward to welcoming him into the Trojan family,” said University of Southern California President Carol Fort. there is,” he said. His broad experience and big thinking are especially needed at this unprecedented time in artificial intelligence research. Adam brings expertise in human behavior, a strong background in government funding, and broad cross-sectoral experience to help ensure ISI and USC double down on his AI power. ”
Craig KnoblauchISI Director General Keston said of Russell: I think Adam is a wonderful person who can do that. Although he is deeply concerned about this issue, he is optimistic that the ISI can play a big role in influencing these discussions and influence the future in terms of where AI goes. ”
Applying Collective Intelligence to Artificial Intelligence
and where teeth Will AI go? Russell believes the answer lies in the crowd.
In many industries, and of course academia, the focus is on individuals and individual geniuses.
This kind of thinking, Russell said, “doesn’t recognize an important characteristic that ultimately leads to human success: the ability to coordinate and cooperate.” “Where we win is our ability to build social networks and create what some call cultural brains,” he said.
This is collective intelligence.And this is something Russell has been working on extensively, and more recently Applied Research Institute for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at the University of MarylandThere, he helped launch the Center for Decision Advantage, with a focus on building and using “wisdom of the crowd” capabilities to enable better decision-making processes in the face of deep uncertainty.
“As a group, we know more than any one individual. The truly successful organizations in society know how to build and leverage it. The crowd will include not only humans, but also very smart machines.”
The question he asks is, “How do you take advantage of it and get the most out of it?”
Russell continues, “No one is smart enough to get out of the problems we face, and I hope we can take better advantage of them.” Most of our great progress has been made through collectives. rice field. And it will become more true in the future. If I can help the ISI continue down this path and make the impact that I think I can, it’s because of the collective. ”
eschatology About AI
In Russell’s eyes, one of the impacts of ISI’s AI division will be to keep AI safe. In fact, he said, “It’s our role to get into that mix.”
“AI is clearly one of the most important technologies humanity will ever develop,” he said. The term he uses to describe his feelings about it is “eschatology.” “I mean, I’m very optimistic about the big opportunities, but I have to be aware of the risks. is what gives me the urgency to participate in this debate.”
He believes the ISI has a role to play in this regard. I think there will be new opportunities led by ISI. ”
What opportunities are there? “I love demonstrating something in the world as a way to change what people think is possible,” said Russell. USC (and other universities) have an opportunity to convince people that there is a way to thread this needle.”
Basics of fundraising
Beyond the big-picture thinking he brings to the ISI, Russell also has extensive experience with government funding. After he entered the government in 2009, he spent the next decade at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and then at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
“I am thrilled that Adam has decided to join the ISI,” Knoblauch said. He has extensive experience in the fundraising world, having served as program manager for IARPA, program manager for DARPA, and helped found ARPA-H. A lot of our research funding comes from these types of organizations, so this is very beneficial to us. ”
“He understands what goes on behind the scenes in funding academic research, and that knowledge is exactly what we need to be successful.” Fred Morstatter.mol stutter Assistant Research Professor of Computer Science at USC and Research Team Leader at ISI The AI department worked with Russell when he was DARPA’s program manager.
Advice, advocacy, and an open and curious mind
In addition to his knowledge of the fundraising world, Molstadter said: [Russell] We have a way of understanding the technical stuff we’re working on and how it applies to the big picture. He continues, “Adam’s interdisciplinary lens helps us find more opportunities. We are looking at ways to fuse our work with what others are doing.”
“He is also supportive of what you are doing. When you approach other agencies, he is an advocate for support and offers a variety of suggestions that may help solve a particular problem. I have a very open mind about possible solutions.”
Emilio Ferrara, Professor of Computer Science at USC and Research team leader Previously worked with Russell in the AI division at ISI. “Adam has established himself in a career in research that looks at the direction of human behavior in the age of machines. is not your typical machine learning, NLP or AI expert, he understands that there are different kinds of problems, different kinds of approaches that work to get different kinds of solutions. When I worked with him, he never underestimated or oversimplified the complexity of the problems associated with modeling human behavior.”
Knoblak said: “It’s interesting that Adam is from another world. I think it’s really great to have people with different perspectives and different ideas about things. It helps.”
Regarding this, Russell himself says the following about his career: “Being an anthropologist means understanding that everything we believe is inherently culturally constrained in some way, and that there are other ways of thinking about things.”
Russell has spent his career understanding human nature, society, and human behavior. “Adam’s quest to understand human behavior does not end with building machine learning models,” Ferraro said. We look forward to delving even deeper into what understanding can be gained by using data, machine learning, and AI to solve problems.”
AI department plan
As of today, July 10, 2023, Russell leads the AI division. He initially worked at ISI Arlington, and regularly visits ISI’s offices in Marinadel, California and his Ray and Boston, Massachusetts.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with the ISI’s AI department in the past, and actually funded it when I was at DARPA, and I’ve seen what they can do. They are unmatched in both breadth and depth of talent, especially in working with them to harness the entrepreneurial spirit that everyone at ISI has and focus their energies on the issues that really matter. I am really excited to have the opportunity.”
Russell said of his goals: the purpose – Know why we do what we do and why it matters – is important for any organization. So the hallmark of success to me is that people are making their time in the AI sector impactful, important, impactful in terms of their “why” – why they are in this space. It is to look back. ’” He laughs about the end goal, jokingly saying, “See, nothing too ambitious.”
Issued July 10, 2023
Last updated: July 6, 2023
