Northwestern announced the creation of a new research hub Tuesday to examine artificial intelligence systems and their impact.

The Digital Intelligence Safety Research Institute at Underwriters Laboratories, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing public safety through scientific study, will support the hub, named the Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence.

“We must develop approaches and tests that will incorporate equity into machine learning and hold it to standards guided by both safety and ethical considerations,” said Christopher Cramer, chief research officer at Underwriters Laboratories.

The hub will focus on improving machine learning’s benefits while minimizing potential negative impacts.

NU began partnering with Underwriters Laboratories in 2020 to explore machine learning’s current impacts on public health and safety. 

“Our goal is to go beyond platitudes and operationalize what it means for these technologies to be safe as they are used in the world,” computer science Prof. and research hub Executive Director Kristian Hammond said.

Moving forward, the hub will evaluate artificial intelligence technologies. It will also follow a research model that encourages widely sharing ideas and research outcomes.

The hub plans to begin sharing results by the end of its first year.

“This kind of collaborative research is vital as we address the complex challenges posed by machine learning and artificial intelligence,” Underwriters Laboratories President and CEO Terrence Brady said.

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