Winners of the Ethics of Asia-Pacific AI Research Initiative, from Facebook, Two Pakistani Junaid Qadir, professor at the Information Technology University (ITU) in Punjab, and co-researcher Amana Raquib, assistant professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi.
The duo were among the winners from nine different countries. The AI initiative aims to support thought-provoking and groundbreaking academic research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr. Junaid Kadir and Amana Raquib have been recognized for their research on culturally informed pro-social AI regulations and life frameworks.
To support AI ethics research in the Asia-Pacific, Facebook partnered with the Center for Civil Society and Governance at the University of Hong Kong and the Data Protection Officer for Personal Data in Hong Kong (PCPD; esteemed co-chair of the Permanent Ethics Working Group) and Data Protection in AI from the Global Privacy Assembly) that launched a call for proposals (RFP) in December 2019.
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The RFP was open to registered and active academic institutions, think tanks and research organizations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Raina Yeung, Head of Privacy and Data Policy, Engagement, APAC on Facebook, said:
At Facebook, we believe that our understanding of AI should be influenced by research into open collaboration with society. Therefore, we aim to support independent academic research institutes of APAC in conducting interdisciplinary research on AI ethics, which allows for continuous dialogue on these important topics in the application of AI technology, which has great potential for society and humanity . "
“We are very enthusiastic about this fair and look forward to starting this project. Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential for achieving sustainable human development goals, but also significant potential for abuse. This work presents a culturally informed, pro-social AI framework for Pakistan and the Muslim world.
In this regard, the rich Islamic legal tradition and the purpose (maqāsid) of Islamic law is being used to investigate current AI-related issues, 'said Junaid Qadir, lead investigator (PI) of the project.
"With the proposed framework, the project team will attempt to move to other AI ethics frameworks and propose new knowledge that can expand the general knowledge of AI and Islamic ethical principles and guidelines," he added.
Junaid Qadir has been a professor at the Information Technology University (ITU) in Punjab, Lahore since April 2020, where he also chairs the electrical engineering department since January 2019.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia in 2008 and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, Pakistan in 2000.
Amana Raquib, the Co-PI of the project, has a Ph.D. in religion and ethics from the University of Queensland, Australia, with summa cum laude. She had previously completed her bachelor's degree in philosophy at Karachi University. She is the author of the book "Islamic Ethics of Technology: An Objective (Maqasidic) Approach".
