Artificial Intelligence powers a lot of decisions in the modern world. For example, it powers what searches bubble to the top at Google and allows Facebook to determine whether a particular message is violating their policies. It has also been used by Police Departments toward predictive policing where crime is likely to take place and by whom. These kinds of applications of AI in powering critical and socially important technologies raise important ethical questions that need to be addressed.

Cisco is interested in several critical areas of research surrounding ethics in AI, including but not limited to the following:

• Ensuring AI applications preserve privacy of individuals and their civil rights
• Preventing AI systems from exhibiting and amplifying systemic biases
• Providing a rational framework for reviewing how and why decisions are made
• Ensuring AI systems (e.g., robots) maintain a healthy respect for humans
• Providing guard-rails around Autonomous AI systems (e.g., self-driving cars)
• Other potential ethical and societal concerns not covered by the above topics

Proposal Submission:

After a preliminary review, we may ask you to revise and resubmit your proposal.

RFPs may be withdrawn as research proposals are funded, or interest in the specific topic is satisfied.

Researchers should plan to submit their proposals as soon as possible.

General Requirements for Consideration, Proposal Details, FAQs

You can find the information by scrolling down to the bottom of the webpage: Research Gifts. If your questions are not answered in the FAQs, please contact research@cisco.com.