HOW AI IS SHAPING SOCIAL STRUCTURES: DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries and human culture. I have increasingly grown curious about AI, not merely because of its technological prowess or potential to revolutionize industries but primarily because of its profound impact on our social structures. Consider these eight questions to understand better how AI will impact our social structures.

1. How will AI reshape our growth as individual human beings?

2. How will AI change our family relationships?

3. How will AI alter the way we learn?

4. How will AI modify how we do business?

5. How will AI change how we carry on in our daily lives?

6. How will AI improve or deteriorate our institutions and practices?

7. How will AI impact our sense of community and our own need for belonging?

8. How will AI impact how humans interact?

I worked at CVS Health Corporation, located in Rhode Island. There, I served in Strategic Diversity Management, which focused on educating, equipping, and empowering managers to ensure they could deliver on the company’s goals by effectively managing a complex and diverse workforce to deliver on those goals. CVS is a healthcare innovation and Fortune 10 company with training and development programs that ensure the healthy growth of its business. The challenge posed to my team during my time there was to foster an inclusive workplace. The opportunity was to cultivate an inclusive environment while creating and delivering products and services that meet patient and customer needs and wants. We took on that challenge and pursued that opportunity with a concrete end in sight: to align and sustain our company's healthy growth through inclusive people strategies.

The challenge, opportunity, and end-in-view made one thing stand out clearly. Organizational systems, structures, and the processes in place to ensure successful people strategies play a significant role in the company's healthy growth. They impact how people get their work done. And while these same systems, structures, and processes can work for them, they can also hinder them. They can link people to work together or disrupt that unity, meaning that those exact systems, structures, and processes, coupled with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), work hand in hand to ensure goals are met.

I later went on to work for an iconic global brand that had its early beginnings in the U.S. I served as its Chief Global Equity and Social Impact Officer, where not only did I have a bird's eye view of cultural dynamics but a gauge from the inside of how leadership maneuvered in a dynamic culture. There, I continued to see challenges, in particular, biases and their handling and how they showed themselves beneath the surface of the company culture. Attention was not given to how biases impacted conditions, rapidly disrupting the company and undermining its efforts to sustain the healthy growth brought on by its people and culture—disruptions such as high attrition, culture ratings, or lack of leader participation. What became clear to me was that you may have the best intentions when you have programs that drive DEIB; however, more than just programs with good intentions are needed to drive systemic change.

The Issue and Opportunity

The appearance of AI brings with it a complex issue: the concern that it will continue to perpetuate biases in the workplace, leading to new forms of inequality. However, AI can be a powerful tool to advance DEIB if we use it thoughtfully and in a morally permissible way.

The Process

In this article, I want to share my perspective on how AI intersects with DEIB. First, I want to define AI and distinguish its three forms. Second, I will discuss what these three forms of AI signify. Third, I will discuss how we can harness AI as a force for good. Fourth, I will outline nine biases that skew our behavior. Fifth, I will offer ten protocols for using AI to enhance people's work and value. Moreover, I will present some AI initiatives to check and remove biases.

Understanding Artificial Intelligence?

AI is changing how we live, learn, work, play, communicate, and purchase goods and services. Let's begin with an insight from historian and author Yuval Noah Harari in his book titled Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.1 He explores humanity's past and future trajectories, mainly focusing on the implications of AI. A significant point Harari makes is how AI is redefining the social structure of humanity. With each advancement, AI challenges the traditional boundaries of what it means to be human, especially in areas such as decision-making, learning, and creativity. Harari asserts that AI is pushing the limits of human uniqueness, showing that many capabilities once thought to be exclusively human can be replicated and, in some cases, surpassed by machines. In many cases, AI will help us to make progress. However, Harari raises the specter that AI will redefine humanity.2 It will be a gradual change.3 With each advancement we make, AI will challenge the boundaries of being human. But in the end, AI will transform who we are as human beings.

According to IBM, "Artificial Intelligence is a technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities."4 Yet there is a stronger form of AI that raises the level of concern. This stronger form is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). It is a technology that enables computers and machines to operate with an intelligence equal to that of human beings.5 OpenAI has an alarming definition of AGI in its mission statement and charter as "highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work."6 However, a more potent form of AI is called Artificial Superintelligence (ASI). This technology enables computers and machines to surpass the intelligence and abilities of the human brain.7 While AGI and ASI are doable theoretically, they are not currently available.

So, what do AGI and ASI mean to us? AI can perform our routine work and free us to accomplish higher levels of work by enhancing human experience and labor productivity. However, AGI and ASI will likely have a different effect; not everyone will benefit from using AGI and ASI at work. As Carl Benedikt Frey reminds us, "There will be winners, and there will be losers."8 Those at the top of the hierarchy will own and control AGI and ASI.

Unfortunately, AGI and ASI can be alarming disruptive forces for individual workers and families in the middle—and lower-income levels; this is because AGI and ASI will replace many workers in the labor force who identify as having redundant skills.9 We learn from history that workers need to respond better to technology that replaces and displaces them. This is particularly true for workers who need better job options available.

If these technologies come into play simultaneously: (1) those in the labor force negatively impacted by the disruptive forces of AGI and ASI will most likely enter lower income levels; (2) more and more middle-income jobs will disappear, and the unemployment rate will increase to an unacceptable level, and (3) AGI and ASI can offer new and greater capacities to analyze people trends. These technologies can violate the right to privacy and diminish people's autonomy to live as they see fit.

Harness AI as a force for good

While AI's transformative potential is undeniable, its impact on DEIB presents a complex and multifaceted challenge that demands urgent attention. We stand at a pivotal moment in the evolution of technology, where the choices we make today will shape the future of our society. If we do not address the inherent biases embedded within AI algorithms, we risk entrenching and amplifying existing divisions. By implementing thoughtful and proactive measures, organizations can ensure that AI serves as a force for good, fostering unity and fairness rather than perpetuating divisiveness.

AI promises to become a transformative force for good, especially in the world of DEIB.

Take recruitment practices, for example, designed to build a workforce. Organizations recognize the immense value a diverse workforce brings, driving innovation, enhancing decision-making, and expanding market reach. By embracing various perspectives and ideas through a diverse workforce, diverse perspectives can unlock creative solutions and effective problem-solving capabilities. These are the benefits that AI, if not carefully managed, could threaten.

Moreover, mirroring the diversity of their customer base allows organizations to develop products and services that genuinely meet the needs and wants of diverse populations, driving business success and fostering a more inclusive and fair society. Instead of focusing on the threats, we should recognize that AI can amplify these benefits, ensuring the drive for DEIB is robust and far-reaching.

However, while helpful, inclusive recruitment practices such as blind hiring and diverse interview panels are not sufficient. Biases persist in the recruiting process, including those I've consistently observed throughout my years in this field. Addressing these biases and evolving AI technologies is crucial to creating a fair recruitment system.

Throughout my career, I have raised troubling concerns about biases in companies and communities. Biases are habits, attitudes, or practices that influence how humans think, feel, and behave without awareness. Ten critical biases are at play.

1. Affinity Bias is the tendency to prefer candidates who are like oneself in terms of background, interests, or experiences. This leads to creating homogenous teams that lack diverse and innovative thinking.
2. Confirmation Bias is the tendency to seek out and favor information that confirms preexisting beliefs or stereotypes about a candidate, which can result in unfair evaluations. This bias can unduly influence recruiters to overlook a candidate's positive attributes or exaggerate their perceived negative qualities.
3. The Halo/Horns Effect is the disposition of having one positive (halo) or negative (horns) attribute of a candidate to influence the overall perception of them; this skews the assessment of a candidate’s overall suitability for the role.
4. Gender Bias is prejudice or favoritism toward candidates based on gender. This bias, in turn, can generate gender imbalances in the workplace and affect team dynamics and organizational culture.
5. Racial/Ethnic Bias favors or discounts a candidate based on race or ethnicity. It can result in underrepresenting specific racial or ethnic groups or overrepresenting a desired group. Thus, this bias can result in a need for more diverse perspectives.
6. Age Bias is the tendency to favor candidates of a particular age group over others. It prevents younger or older qualified candidates from getting fair consideration. Moreover, it leads to a need for more diversity and broad experiences.
7. Name Bias is the faulty readiness to assume it is the name of a candidate that serves to support their background, ethnicity, or capabilities. This leaves out many qualified candidates from different ethnic groups, cultural statuses, or economic classes.
8. Educational Bias is the practice of preferring candidates who graduate with specific credentials and from well-known institutions. They disregard the stock of candidates from lesser-known institutions or do not take the traditional educational path.
9. Appearance Bias is the tendency to evaluate, judge, and exclude candidates based on their physical appearance and style of clothing, piercings, or markings.
10. Disability Bias discriminates against hiring, keeping, training, and advancing people who have some form of disability.

All is not lost with our biases. We can step in now and make AI, AGI, and ASI work for us. We can use these technologies to eliminate or lessen the risk of biases. The key is to use these tools to enhance the capacities and values of what human beings can do. Use it to help us think and work better. It is not to replace human beings but rather to enhance being human, not to make being human redundant.

Some Steps for AI to Enhance the Work and Value of People

What matters is the purpose of using AI, AGI, and ASI. Is it to replace us? If the answer is yes, then we are on track. Is it to enhance us, our work, and our communities? If so, we must consider implementing rules and procedures to align AI, AGI, and ASI with that purpose. So, I'd like to offer some guidance in the following focus areas that should be integrated into a DEIB strategy and aligned with the overall company goals.

1. Diverse Training Data. We should program AI, AGI, and ASI to focus on more varied data sets representing customer backgrounds, interests, and experiences. This will help recruit, train, and retain employees to create, deliver, capture, and enhance values that meet or exceed customer needs and wants.
2. Regular Bias Audits. Organizations must regularly conduct audits to detect any biases in their data sets. Once detected, they must take the necessary steps to correct an overrepresented and underrepresented population in the organization.
3. Algorithmic Transparency calls for using Explainable AI (XAI) models. This tool helps establish conditions for more transparent and interpretable decisions, enabling an organization's stakeholders to make more effective decisions. It is a crucial tool to ensure that AI outputs are fair and unbiased.
4. Bias Mitigation Techniques. Organizations must use algorithms designed to eliminate biases or mitigate their effects on the organization, its customers, and its stakeholders.
5. Human Oversight and Intervention. A human-in-the-loop approach is critical to using these three technologies. AI, AGI, and ASI are to work for human beings, not the other way around.
6. Diversity Review Panels. These panels of a mix of experts in their field are to (1) reduce the conditions that make possible affinity biases and (2) introduce conditions that welcome diverse perspectives in the organization.
7. Continuous Learning and Improvement. This focuses on the heightened need to (1) educate and train personnel to create better, deliver, capture, and improve value and (2) develop and use feedback loops that improve the way you manage the complexity, diversity, and challenges that you will face in the organization. This requires the organization to continually create, deliver, monitor, and update learning modules to meet its customers' needs and wants. It is vitally important that organizations use this protocol to improve AI, AGI, and ASI in the way they serve the organization to carry out its mission and fulfill its company’s goals.
8. Policy and Regulation Compliance. Organizations must incorporate and follow ethical standards and best practices that will help create conditions that enable people to work with dignity, be the best person they can be, but in their way, and effectively cooperate and collaborate with people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. AI, AGI, and ASI must always work within those standards and practices and comply with government laws and regulations.
9. Inclusive AI Development Teams. The organization must build diverse development teams to help create and maintain AI, AGI, and ASI systems. Diverse perspectives in the development process can help identify and mitigate biases early.
10. Artificial Intelligence Orchestration.10 The organization must manage, align, and coordinate its AI, AGI, and ASI. These are complex technologies. But there is a common agenda. It is what unifies and drives AI, AGI, and ASI. The typical agenda is to create, deliver, capture, and enhance customer value to help sustain the organization's healthy growth. Therefore, organizations must use these technologies to recruit, develop, and enhance their employees' productivity, communication, coordination, and collaboration. Orchestration is managing, controlling, and coordinating the use of AI, AGI, and ASI throughout the organization to support the strategy.

It is my experience and claims that these ten focus areas are good ways to create and integrate AI systems that do the following: (1) minimize biases; (2) build teams that are more diverse in their thought processes; (3) enable people to be innovative in the way they create and deliver value; (4) influence more cooperative and collaborative behavior in the way people capture and enhance value; and (5) create conditions that are more fulfilling in how people feel about their work.

These protocols form a more multifaceted approach that combines technical expertise, reflective thinking, ethical considerations, and a commitment to DEIB in meeting an organization's mission and vision. However, these protocols are not the be-all and end-all; they are only a starting point for making AI, AGI, and ASI work for human beings.

Initiatives to Expand AI’s Role in DEIB

There is more that organizations can do beyond these ten focus areas. They can take on some initiatives. For example, they can use AI, AGI, and ASI to determine and develop solutions that impact customers' needs and wants, including marginalized and underserved populations. AI is available to improve how people can better access healthcare. Moreover, AI algorithms can rapidly analyze vast amounts of health data to identify disparities in treatment and outcomes among different demographic groups. This insight can lead to more personalized and effective treatment plans; therefore, it can help ensure that all patients receive the care they need. Currently, AI-powered telemedicine is extending healthcare services to remote and underserved areas.

Moreover, you can use them to conduct, monitor, and improve the performance of employees through better evaluations. You prepare, submit, and maintain assessments without biases. A focus on consistent and fair measured outcomes can provide helpful feedback. You can use AI to prepare and submit evaluations based on the outcomes of each person's performance compared to reasonably expected outcomes. The key is avoiding arbitrary criteria that detract from establishing and sustaining healthy human growth. In this way, people can be fairly promoted and rewarded.

AI can play a pivotal role in creating inclusive learning and training experiences. For example, it can assess and then deliver learning and training programs tailored to meet the needs of the individual; this includes those with disabilities or learning differences. They can learn and grow at their own pace and in their way of learning. Envision using AI-driven platforms to offer personalized career development plans. It can help employees from all backgrounds acquire the skills they need to advance in your company and community. Closing the skills and talent gap can offer all employees equal opportunities for growth and career progression.

AI is a tool for the financial sector. Many traditional credit scoring systems often rely on biased criteria. AI can identify and correct discrimination and unfair lending practices in the industry and immediately eliminate unjust criteria and practices in the system. Thus, the financial sector can assess creditworthiness more accurately and fairly, unlocking new economic growth opportunities.

Organizations can use AI more equitably to distribute resources where needed and in the right amount to sustain healthy growth. This can be particularly beneficial in the public service sector. Access to equitable resources, programs, and services is crucial for healthy human growth at home and in the community.

Lastly, we can use AI to find and eliminate unconscious biases in organizations' policies and processes. This tool will create a more inclusive culture while addressing systemic issues before they become widespread.

Conclusion

AI is a tool we already use in society. AGI and ASI are tools in the making. What we do with them and how we do it are our decisions. We have the time now to make good decisions. But the decision at stake is to make AI, AGI, and ASI work for us—that is, for human beings and our social structure. They are tools to help human beings sustain their healthy growth. They are not to be devices that make most human beings redundant or create divisiveness in our social structure.

Notes

1.?????? Yuval Noah Harari, PhD, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (New York, NY: Harpers-Collins Publishers, 2017).

2.?????? Ibid., p. 49.

3.?????? Ibid.

4.?????? IBM, What Is Artificial Intelligence? It is available online at https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence . It was accessed on 10 Aug 2024.

5.?????? Ibid.

6.?????? OpenAI, OpenAI Charter: Our Charter Describes the Principles We Use to Execute OpenAI’s Mission. Online at https://openai.com/charter/ . Accessed on 10 Aug 2024.

7.?????? IBM, What Is Artificial Intelligence? Online at https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence . Accessed on 10 Aug 2024.

8.?????? Carl Benedikt Frye, The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press), 17.

9.?????? Ibid.

10.?? Martin Christopher, Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Creating Value-Adding Networks (United Kingdom: Prentice Hall Financial Times, 2005). I introduce the concept of Artificial Intelligence Orchestration from a paradigm that Professor Christopher calls “Network Orchestration

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