A leading cybersecurity expert and two prominent AI safety researchers will take on leadership roles at the University of Toronto’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.
David LeeKnown for his seminal research that led to the modern Trusted Execution processor architecture, he has been appointed the new director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute (SRI), which aims to explore and address the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
His four-year term begins July 1 and overlaps with two other prominent experts on AI safety. Roger Gross and David Duvenau He has been appointed Schwartz Reisman Professor in the School of Technology and Society for a five-year term.
“I think one of the top priorities is to ensure that SRI and the University of Toronto become a leading hub for discussion and research on AI safety in Canada, and perhaps the world,” said Lee, the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
“My vision is to make Canada one of the leaders. Canada has already contributed significantly to machine learning and AI through the contributions of our academics to date. [University Professor Emeritus] Geoffrey HintonWe believe we have a very important role to play in this important technology going forward.”
He was appointed as the first director and chairman. Gillian Hadfield He will complete his term as president this month (he stepped down as director at the end of last year). The institute was established in 2019 after a historic donation from business leaders. Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reismanbrings together experts from various disciplines across the University of Toronto’s three campuses to advance AI development that prioritizes safety and human welfare.
“We are pleased to welcome David Lee, Roger Gross and David Duvenau to their new positions at the Schwartz Reisman Institute,” Melanie Woodin“Their expertise and leadership will play a key role in fostering the interdisciplinary collaborations necessary to ensure the University of Toronto remains at the forefront of technological innovation that benefits humanity.”
Lee, who serves as research leader at SRI and holds joint appointments in the computer science and law departments, said his decades of research into making computer systems safer and more reliable — including contributions to computer architecture, formal verification, and techniques using operating systems and networking — have prepared him to tackle the complex problems posed by AI, which requires researchers to anticipate and adapt to the unexpected.
“As AI becomes more powerful, it may do things we never expected or hoped for — or maybe it already does,” Lie says. “Incorporating cybersecurity skills, mindsets and tools into the discussion about AI safety will be crucial to solving the problem.”
Lee stressed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the potential disruptions posed by AI, noting that it has been crucial in his research and in other roles.
His current research focuses on mobile platform security, cloud computing security, and bridging the gap between technology and policy. Data Science Research InstituteUniversity of Toronto Organizational Strategic InitiativesHe is a faculty member at the Vector Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and a Senior Fellow at Massey University.
“One of the reasons I love a place like the University of Toronto is because it’s so large and allows me to collaborate with experts in all disciplines,” he says. “I feel very strongly that we can accomplish so much more together than we can individually. This applies to people, but it also applies to disciplines.”
As the incoming Schwartz Reisman Chairs in Technology and Society, Lee says Gross and Duvenau will play key roles in advancing SRI’s research agenda and sharing its findings with the world.
“One of the main ways that universities contribute to society is through research, but we also contribute through debate, by translating knowledge and providing it to policymakers, decision makers and stakeholders,” he says. “I think SRI has a key role to play in these roles.”
Gross and Duvenau are Associate Professors of Computer Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, faculty members at SRI, founding members of the Vector Institute, and Canadian CIFAR AI Chairs. Both work in the following areas: San Francisco-based AnthropikA research company focused on AI safety and integrity.
Gross, whose research applies our understanding of deep learning to the safety and tuning of AI systems, says academia has an important role to play in guiding AI development by looking beyond short-term incentives and asking how these technologies can be safely and ethically integrated for the long-term benefit of humanity.
“I’m excited to be part of an interdisciplinary community that’s particularly well-suited to understand and mitigate the devastating risks from AI and to make progress on these issues, and I’m really grateful to donors for their leadership in supporting this effort,” he said.
“I think academia is great because it allows us to ask more fundamental questions and conduct more forward-looking research that may not be directly relevant to a company’s key challenges, but that contributes to safety practices across organizations.”
Meanwhile, Duvenau’s research focuses on probabilistic deep learning, artificial general intelligence governance, and risk capability assessment.
He envisions SRI as a “center of gravity” where academics, industry players, government leaders and other stakeholders can engage with each other and shape the future of AI technology.
“By making the institute specialised in this direction, we will be able to receive visitors and interact with scholars from all disciplines, including law, economics and other parts of civil society, so that ultimately when policy debates come up we will be equipped and trusted to help governments make those decisions,” said Duvenau, who also holds a position in statistical sciences.
Sheila McIlraithSRI’s associate director and research leader, professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Vector Institute’s Canadian CIFAR AI Chair, emphasizes the importance of bringing together experts from different disciplines from across the University of Toronto to address the opportunities and challenges that AI will bring in the future.
“AI is no longer just the domain of computer scientists. It is transforming how we live, work and interact with each other, and it requires collaboration from a wide range of experts to ensure it is developed and deployed for the benefit of humanity and that Canada can adapt quickly to protect our institutions,” said McIlwraith, the AI safety research expert.
“The threat is already upon us. The time to act is now.”