Baruch Alumni on the Promise and Pitfalls of AI Technology
By Sally Fay
Recent launches of sophisticated generative artificial intelligence (AI) programs, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, have spurred wide-ranging discussion about the infiltration of various forms of AI-assisted technology into nearly every facet of modern life. Is this seemingly ubiquitous entity a source of promise or of peril—and, if the latter, what can be done to constrain it?
We spoke with Baruch alumni whose careers are heavily intertwined with AI about the role this powerful technology plays in the business world and beyond, and how it might shape our future.
Growing the Knowledge Base
Minkyu Choi (’17), a senior AI research engineer at Lockheed Martin Corporation’s dedicated AI Center, views AI as a tool that presents unprecedented opportunity for technological innovation. “We have to accept that AI is changing the world; the future depends on how we leverage this technology,” he says.
Choi’s path to AI research was a circuitous one. Originally from South Korea, he transferred to Baruch from LaGuardia Community College to pursue a marketing degree but eventually decided his future was in data science. After earning his BBA in computer information systems, he went on to pursue an MS in analytics from Georgia Tech amidst a rapidly evolving data science landscape. “AI concepts like computer vision and natural language processing are all rooted in data, and data engineering and data science are merging in many areas,” he says. “So I concentrated on building my engineering and coding skills—and did a lot of AI side work.” Today Choi is part of a team focused on AI innovation, helping diverse business areas within Lockheed Martin to accelerate their use of state-of-the art AI technology.
Before joining Lockheed Martin in 2021, Choi spent two years working with the US Department of Defense’s AI center, launched to help defense agencies identify needs that could be addressed through AI innovation, including development of tools to better safeguard human assets. “The first thing they did when they founded the center was form an AI ethics department,” he says. “They recognized it’s going to be a complex, evolving issue.”
Choi believes that teamwork and knowledge sharing are key to maximizing AI’s potential. “If our work is really innovative, we try to publish it,” he explains, adding that the center often collaborates with university researchers, sharing innovations in AI algorithms through open-source publication. “A lot of advances in AI are based on the open-source community. As a research group we want to contribute something to the world that others can build on, just as we’ve built on others’ prior contributions. Collaboration is how we’re able to advance the technology so fast.”
Demystifying AI
AI is exciting and can drive positive change, but it’s not a magic bullet, says Jonathan Rhine (MBA ’05). “When we hear about these technologies it’s easy to get enamored with the shiny new toy, but for any organization, if the thinking starts with ‘what problem can AI solve,’ you have a solution looking for a problem,” he says. “It’s important to instead start with the issue to be addressed, and then work to identify the best solution—sometimes it’s AI, sometimes it’s not.”
In Rhine’s view, the key to successful operational problem solving—AI-assisted or otherwise—is fostering communication and understanding between the business and technology realms and ensuring that all constituencies have a seat at the table. It’s a skill set he brings to his role as National Office Director and AI lead at PwC, where he applies his combination of business and operations experience to “visualize what we can accomplish when we bring multiple disciplines together in cross-functional teams.” He credits his Baruch MBA with nurturing this inclusive outlook, thanks in part to its “diverse student body, which benefits innovation and creativity,” he says.
Inclusivity is a big part of the conversation surrounding AI—a practice that Rhine believes enables better outcomes.
“Machine learning is based on existing data, so beyond just having a sound algorithm you need to make sure you’re getting the data right—that it’s representative, it’s accurate, and it doesn’t have bias. Otherwise, there is risk the algorithm makes an incorrect inference or unintentionally perpetuates an inappropriate conclusion,” he says. “So thinking about how and from where you’re deriving the data that’s driving the artificial intelligence is really crucial.”
Rhine predicts a lot of good will come from AI—provided that users are prepared to put in the work. “The popularization of AI through new consumer-facing applications can create the impression that it’s easy to implement AI successfully,” he cautions. “Some may not appreciate the deliberate thought and effort that is often needed to achieve a specific goal or outcome.”
An Evolutionary Development
To Dave Goodsmith (MBA ’12), “artificial intelligence” is a misnomer: “It’s a natural outgrowth of organic life and a way the human brain has of propagating.” An executive consultant in machine learning and AI for organizations across regulated commercial and public sectors, he develops machine learning strategy and advises clients on how neural networks can be made more interpretable, less biased, better integrated with human colleagues, and more effective at saving and improving lives.
A Harvard graduate with a BA in environmental science and public policy, Goodsmith was drawn into AI as a means to understand the workings of the human brain. “I was interested in why and how people at the high end of economic strata did or didn’t support people at the lowest end,” he explains. Working as a lab manager at Columbia University in the neurophysiology of economic decision making exposed him to the synergies between statistical programming and cognitive neuroscience. Later on, his Baruch MBA enabled him to further hone his statistics and programming skills while acquiring the business fundamentals necessary to pursue a career centered on social-impact business.
The evolution of AI has magnified societal challenges that we ignore at our peril, argues Goodsmith, and the need to better understand the technology is growing exponentially. “In the private sector, corporations are making an extraordinary amount of money by abstracting and then manipulating human behavior. In the public sector, government has failed to regulate AI, whose growth far outpaces the agility of legislative bodies. Globally, regulatory capture in the AI tech sector is rampant, with military competition and medicine the main drivers,” he says. “Given this environment, public-private partnerships, along with individual responsibility, are the only way AI can be properly controlled to meet our best human values. We need to better anticipate, strategize, and—when necessary—react.”
Despite its potential pitfalls, Goodsmith is optimistic about the future of AI in human life. “I love how from the most minute, individual level to the macro level—from our decision of which toothbrush to buy to our global carbon emissions policies—AI is there, waiting to be understood and synced with our goals.”
Addressing Threats
Newly minted Baruch graduate Audite Talukder (’23) earned a BBA in computer information systems with a concentration on information risk management and cybersecurity in January. She says it’s clear that AI will be part of whatever cybersecurity area she chooses to pursue professionally. “The use of AI in cybersecurity has been somewhat limited so far, but AI is rapidly growing and evolving,” Talukder says. “Security professionals will need to understand potential risks and vulnerabilities associated with AI-powered cyberattacks, and additional research and development on AI algorithms will be required to build new tools and strategies for detecting and mitigating cyber risks.”
As a woman of color from an immigrant background (her family emigrated from Bangladesh when she was two), Talukder says that Baruch provided the support she needed to position herself for career success in her chosen field. “There are a lot of resources there to help students who traditionally haven’t been well represented in the workforce,” she notes. She took advantage of the opportunity to apply to Break Through Tech AI, a highly competitive yearlong program designed to expose undergraduate women and non-binary students to AI applications and career paths, and was a member of the inaugural New York City class. The program seeks to address the gender gap in AI, a field that is overwhelmingly male.
Increasing diversity and representation in AI is critical, says Talukder. “It’s especially important in order to accelerate AI maturity, since one of the biggest obstacles in machine learning is bias within algorithms. Sometimes we forget technology is made by people, and the bias and prejudices they carry can be implemented into algorithms that further reiterate systematic bias.”
Talukder lauds emerging efforts to address AI’s potential negative effects, such as the development of AI ethics principles, the formation of regulatory bodies, and the proposal of new laws and policies. “But the conversation about how best to ensure that AI is used in a responsible and beneficial manner isn’t as active as it should be,” she says. “There needs to be more discussion among users, programmers, and policymakers to ensure that society is equipped to meet the challenges posed by AI.”
Navigating Uncharted Territory
Technological advances offer humanity new tools and new opportunities, but they also introduce new challenges throughout society, including in higher education. As Dr. Linda Essig, Baruch provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, recently conveyed to faculty colleagues, publicly accessible AI will change the way education is delivered, “much as the internet did 30 years ago, but we can approach this ‘brave new world’ with clarity and thoughtfulness.”
Advances in AI technology and its increasing uptake across public, private, government, and creative sectors are already driving thoughtful research and policy development encompassing legal, ethical, regulatory, and even philosophical issues. As Baruch continues to foster an environment of transformational education and societal engagement and to promote a culture of lifelong learning, there’s no doubt that Baruch alumni and educators alike will be active contributors to the evolving AI discourse.
Read more | Wise Counsel: Baruch Law Professors Weigh In on AI