Dar’shun Kendrick is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, which she was elected to at the age of 27 in 2010 seeks to pass more AI legislation
She has extensive experience in policy, equality, and technology, having served on the Small Business Development and Jobs Creation Committee as well as the Technology and Infrastructure Committee, where she is a member of the Artificial Intelligence subcommittee.
She has also served on the National Black Caucus of State Legislators’ Telecommunications, Science, and Technology Committee, and in 2019, she established the Georgia House of Representatives‘ first nonpartisan Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship caucus.
Kendrick attended Oglethorpe University and earned her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is an attorney who founded a law and financial advisory firm in 2017 to assist women and Black entrepreneurs in learning more about capital raising.
Briefly, how did you get started with AI? What drew you to the field?
I got my start in AI by being generally active in technology. As a securities attorney, I assist innovators around the country in raising billions of dollars in private investment money while also advising venture capital funds.
As a result of my “day job,” I am constantly exposed to and participating in capital raises using cutting-edge technology.
I was drawn to AI and continue to be drawn to it because it is fascinating for me as a policymaker to strike a balance between making people’s lives simpler and ensuring that machine learning does not undermine our democracy or what makes us human.
As an attorney, I’m interested in it since VCs and founders in the AI sector appear to be defying recent trends by raising less investor cash than other areas of technology. I’m not sure why that’s essential, which is what makes it so fascinating.
What are your proudest achievements in the field of artificial intelligence?
This past legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, I served on a tiny AI panel that enacted legislation addressing the forthcoming election and “deepfakes” used by political campaigns to affect elections.
It is only the beginning, but I am glad that the state of Georgia has begun to have such conversations. The government is notoriously slow to keep up with developing technologies, so I am glad we are finally starting to look into everything related to AI, particularly generative AI.
How do you deal with the issues of the male-dominated technology business, and by extension, the male-dominated artificial intelligence industry?
Show up. I appear in places where these traditionally male-dominated sectors would not expect to see me — gatherings, conferences, talks, and so on.
It’s the same way I broke into the male-dominated venture capital profession: by simply showing up, knowing what I’m talking about, and contributing something of value to the industry.
What recommendations would you provide to women interested in entering the AI field?
Produce. Women are accustomed to multitasking. In my opinion, this is one of the best uses of generative and applied AI. So I know women can create a new AI product to make life easier because we are the ones who require it. You don’t have to create the product — just be a visionary.
Someone else can build it. Show up. There are only so many places we can be kept out of. Continue to learn. Technology evolves so quickly. You want to be able to deliver value when the time arises and as you enter this arena, so listen to YouTube and sign up for an email blast with someone talking about it.
What are some of the most significant concerns for AI as it evolves?
Fraud. Whenever a new technology is introduced, someone is clever enough to devise a way to exploit it. Because it’s AI, the most vulnerable communities, such as the elderly and immigrants, will be targeted. Privacy. The story is as old as time, and it continues with artificial intelligence. As you feed the AI engine more information about yourself, it improves.
The disadvantage is that it now knows and saves a lot of information about you. Data breaches occur all the time. Hacking is a phenomenon. So it’s a concern. Small business adaptation.
The government, the judicial system, and financial services. All of these industries tend to be more conservative and sluggish to adopt new technologies.
However, in today’s fast-paced world, being sluggish to use AI is a prescription for disaster for small businesses. Government and corporate partners must find a method to retool firms to respond to the shifting tech and business development landscape brought forth by artificial intelligence.
What issues should AI users be aware of?
Because of fraud, you must now second-guess everything, and you must exercise caution when sharing information with AI systems. Furthermore, consumers should be aware that AI technology is only as intelligent as the inputs provided by humans. So there is still the danger of prejudice resulting from the usage of AI, such as in job applications.
What is the most responsible way to construct AI?
Create a documented ethics framework of “DOs and DO NOTs” that focuses on privacy, data security, anti-fraud measures, and ongoing appraisal of discriminatory issues in the system. Write out this ethics framework, distribute it to the team, and keep to it.
How can investors effectively advocate for responsible AI?
[See above] along with responsibility check-ins. Companies who claim to be focused on ESG [environmental, social, and governance] are held accountable by asking the correct questions, establishing a written ethics strategy, and implementing measures to really boast of being an ESG investment.
What we all have to do — the government, the private sector, and individuals — is swiftly establish the proper balance between innovation, which I admire as an American trademark, and rights – the right to privacy, liberty, due process, and nondiscrimination.
The sooner we realize and act on that balance, the better off our country and the globe will be.
