When tech and ethics collide

This fall the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration launched a new program in collaboration with IBM to prepare students to meet the age of artificial intelligence. The first-ever Responsible AI Case Competition took place in November, and the participating students left the Kennedy Union Torch Lounge both a little richer and a little wiser.

Students first applied to the competition in October with a short video explaining their definition of responsible AI and its place in business in 10 years. Of the 50 applicants, 28 were chosen to continue to round two and were sorted into teams of four. 

Teams were given a theoretical case created by SBA professors Joseph Krella and Kaitlyn DeGhetto. The study followed a tech company, Luma, that used an entirely AI hiring process. The company found that the AI system had begun to make significant errors, misinterpretations and biases in its decisions that disqualified worthy candidates, led to a decrease in company culture and left applicants with confusing and inaccurate feedback. 

Students had one month to research and create a pitch advising the company on how to proceed with their hiring process and the role of AI in that solution. Pitches were presented for judging in a final competition to a panel of IBM representatives and industry professionals.

“As in all decisions in business, there was a good part to it and a bad part to it,” said finance and entrepreneurship junior Ryan Barker, one of the students working on the case, “It was our job to figure out what the problems were and what solutions we could come up with.”

The scenario created by Krella and DeGhetto was based on real-world AI hiring issues and lawsuits — many of which are still circulating in federal courts. More and more employers are looking to hire candidates who are equipped to navigate these challenges.

The case competition is one way UD is rising to meet that demand. Students conducted extensive research into AI systems, risks and unfair employment cases. They dove past surface-level questioning and used critical thinking to develop new solutions and procedures surrounding the use of AI in hiring. 

There was a common consensus across teams — AI isn’t all bad, and it’s not going anywhere. The issue is how you use it, and having measures in place to ensure it's done so responsibly. 

“I think the biggest risk we see is folks letting AI substitute judgment and relying on it blindly, not using AI as a piece of a decision making puzzle but making it the entire decision making puzzle,” said Krella.

“When you remove human judgement from the equation you have a tendency for biases to go undiscovered, hallucinations to go unmitigated and other data-related privacy issues to occur.”

Students in the competition came to similar conclusions — AI was a helpful tool to scale the employment process, but left to its own devices, it made errors and implemented data patterns that weren’t meant to exist. Responsible AI means constant human oversight, check-ins and refinement to make sure the information both going in and coming out is accurate.

In addition to furthering their understanding of AI use, students gained experience with other important professional skills. They practiced conducting thorough independent research, collaborating as a team, communicating complex ideas, problem-solving and presenting to a professional audience. 

“Graduating just in a few weeks, I am really glad that I ended up doing it,” said marketing senior Isabelle Rice. “I think it really prepared me for situations that I may be in in my job.”

In a world where more and more tasks can be automated and replaced by AI systems, this skill becomes all the more valuable. Students who can adapt, learn and develop new ideas and solutions will be the leaders of tomorrow. They’re the ones who will drive innovation, overcome obstacles and protect the wellbeing of others.

The competition's sponsors sure seemed to believe UD students hit that mark. In addition to the $3,000, $1,500 and $750 awards for each student on the first, second and third place teams, sponsors were so impressed with the quality of responses that they awarded all of the 28 presenting students $250 for their work.

“The students deserved it,” DeGhetto said, “They did a great job.”

Photography by Sylvia Stahl '18