The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Responsible AI Lead at the Joint AI Center (JAIC), Alka Patel, left her position Oct. 1, she announced in a LinkedIn post.
Patel had been in the post since January 2020, leading the DoD in its implementation of ethical AI and operationalizing ethical AI policies at the JAIC.
“As this week comes to a close, so does my time at the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center,” Patel said in her Oct. 1 post. “As a child of immigrant parents, I would have never imagined that I would have the privilege and honor of serving in our federal government, let alone find myself at the United States Department of Defense, and in a role as critical as ensuring that we build and use our technologies in a responsible manner.”
Patel has primarily been working on operationalizing the ethical AI principles that DoD adopted in February 2020, and said her efforts were focused on the “workplace, acquisition, policy, and international dialogues, having a chance to work with industry, partners and allies.” As of May, Patel said DoD was making progress on operationalizing the ethical principles and noted the importance of interoperability from both a cultural and technological perspective.
“There is still much more to do, but over the last 20 months, it’s been my responsibility and privilege to elevate the dialogue on Responsible AI,” Patel added.
