Data stewards, ethicists, and the blending of tech & humanities w/ Michael Brent & Jennifer Fischer

How do companies move past mere compliance and focus on doing the right thing? Do companies need data stewards and ethicists? How are business, technology, and humanities blending?

In this episode of IBM thinkLeaders podcast, we are joined by Michael Brent (Data Ethics Officer at Enigma Technologies) & Jennifer Fischer (AI Ethicist and Associate Professor at Felician University). We talk about going from STEM to STEAM, understanding data practices and governance, and the impact that GDPR is having on American companies. We also get into how we can be proactive with data practices, as opposed to reactive with regulation.

Connect with us @IBMthinkLeaders

“What is this product going to do? Who will it serve and what results will it deliver to them? That's a way to start thinking about the ethics of what we should be building and how we should be using this information.” -Michael Brent, Data Ethics Officer at Enigma Technologies

“What I've seen is...a challenge around the knowledge and awareness and transparency that goes along with providing a rich data governance set without it being so burdensome that then you're slowing down your delivery teams.” -Jennifer Fischer, AI Ethicist and Associate Professor at Felician University

BIOS

Michael Brent is the Data Ethics Officer at Enigma Technologies in New York City, and a Co-founding Faculty Member of the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research.

Hailing originally from Toronto, Canada, he earned his PhD in Philosophy from Columbia University, and taught for several years at the University of Denver before returning to the city to join Enigma as their first Data Ethics Officer.

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Jennifer Fischer is an AI Ethicist and Associate Professor at Felician University. She is a frequent speaker on topics related to development and use of intelligent technologies, applied digital ethics, human-robot interaction and future of work; in context of business; data privacy; legal & regulatory compliance; algorithmic bias; cyber-risk; and impacts of techno-social engineering upon the individual and society.

Ms. Fischer brings real-world experience to teaching. Most recently, as the Global Head of Platform Security Management for KPMG International; and with +25 years’ experience as a Global IT Executive serving in transformation leadership positions to optimize business performance, manage risk effectively and help organizations adapt to changing business conditions.

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