Jacob Ogles
Artificial intelligence is already changing how society operates in ways most people don’t immediately see. That’s why Rezonance AI founder Padmini Soni says it’s mandatory that ethics drive responsible AI growth.
“AI is no longer a buzzword,” she said. “From our lives, our work, the way we interact with people, everything has changed with AI.”
In a speech to Florida TaxWatch, she said that includes policy guardrails. Speaking to a watchdog policy group, she said AI will provide tremendous policy tools, but that there should also be considerations as governments consider regulatory frameworks.
“Look at the AI policy and strategy, establish the ‘why,’ ‘where’ and ‘how’ of AI adoption,” she said. “Then build the mindset and the muscle for leading an AI project. And finally, design items that are scalable, ethical and effective.”
Soni said she became passionate about AI after her father suffered a fall, and she found ChatGPT a valuable tool in managing her busy schedule as she became a caretaker.
“That’s when something shifted inside me, when I started seeing some little responses,” she said. “And that’s when I started thinking about ChatGPT or AI being more than just a productivity or an automation tool.”
But not everyone realizes how AI has already started to change their lives.
“You have more power at your fingertips than ever before,” she said. But, paraphrasing a famous Spiderman moral, she said great power comes with great responsibility.
Soni said Florida TaxWatch and others in The Process can use AI for direct benefits. She helped California develop a chatbot to inform the public about the Secure and Secure Innovation Frontier bill, using AI to educate about AI regulation. But the technology can also be used to find government efficiency or to run comparisons of bills and policy proposals.
All of that, though, needs to come with restrictions and an awareness that technology needs to be directed to assist humanity and not harm it.
“What keeps me up is having this mass innovation without guardrails,” she said.
