The Data Diva E165 - Pamela Isom and Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds, “The Data Diva” talks to Pamela Isom, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, IsAdvice & Consulting LLC, Former Executive Director the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). We discuss Pamela’s extensive experience in various fields, including AI and cybersecurity. We discuss the evolution of AI from expert systems to Generative AI, with Pamela highlighting the need for accountability, bias mitigation, and ethical governance. We also discuss the limitations of AI and the importance of using it as a helper, not a replacement for humans. Pamela shared her experience of being kicked out of a group call because someone thought she was an AI, highlighting the lack of human judgment in relying solely on AI tools. The conversation then shifted to the risks and challenges associated with AI, including privacy concerns and the potential for AI to make judgments about people. Pamela drew attention to the alarming case of a 14-year-old girl whose photos were used in deepfakes, highlighting the serious risks posed by this technology. We also discuss the challenges of determining the authenticity of AI-generated content and the need for watermarking and content authenticity initiatives. Debbie Reynolds and Pamela Isom delved into the importance of data lineage and provenance in AI decision-making, emphasizing the need to know the origin and journey of data. We conclude the discussion on the importance of ethics in AI and the challenges of implementing them in government. We highlight the importance of networking and building relationships in the field of AI and technology. Pamela also expressed concern about children receiving scam calls that sound like their loved ones and emphasized the need to educate children about cybersecurity and privacy and her hope for Data Privacy in the future. Support the show