Google, Facebook, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft team up for a new Partnership on AI

Tech titans holding the keys to some of the largest databases on our planet are coming together for a new Partnership on AI.

In a first of its kind initiative, stalwarts like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM are teaming up “to study and formulate best practices on AI technologies, to advance the public’s understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society.”

The group will be like a self-governing body of the world’s largest data holders, who will frequently meet to discuss advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence. The organizational structure has been designed to allow non-corporate groups to have equal leadership side-by-side with large tech companies.

Financial support will be coming from the initial tech companies that are members of the group, but in the future, membership and involvement is expected to increase. User activists, nonprofits, ethicists and other stakeholders will be joining the discussion in the coming weeks.

“The objective of the Partnership on AI is to address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies to benefit people and society,” the statement said. “Together, the organization’s members will conduct research, recommend best practices, and publish research under an open license in areas such as ethics, fairness, and inclusivity; transparency, privacy, and interoperability; collaboration between people and AI systems; and the trustworthiness, reliability, and robustness of the technology. It does not intend to lobby government or other policymaking bodies.”

This partnership becomes important perhaps because it’s the first ever serious take on highlighting how AI research will ultimately benefit humans, and won’t just result in huge robots and holographic brains trying to destroy the human race.

“We believe that artificial intelligence technologies hold great promise for raising the quality of people’s lives and can be leveraged to help humanity address important global challenges such as climate change, food, inequality, health, and education,” the organization says on its homepage.

Among all the names, Apple was conspicuous by its absence. Though the Cupertino giant is said to be enthusiastic about the project, the absence could also signify it being left behind in artificial intelligence when compared to its rivals.

Notably, the formation of the group comes almost a year after the announcement of OpenAI, a nonprofit with financial backing from Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and others. The Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society (or PAI, for short) is in talks with outside organizations such as the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, according to the statement.