For our May member spotlight, we’re highlighting Katherine Elkins, a twenty-year member of the MLA. Read about Kate’s work as a member of the MLA team for the US AI Safety Institute, a Commerce Department initiative to support the development of AI standards and guidelines, and why she thinks the MLA convention is an invaluable resource for members:
“Currently I serve as principal investigator representing the MLA for the US AI Safety Institute. Our MLA team consists of five members, and together we serve on nearly all of the key task forces. I believe it’s incredibly important to have specialists in writing and languages making sure our AI systems are safe, unbiased, and representative of the entire breadth of humanity’s cultural heritage. Last November, our team had the opportunity to present some of our safety research to the [Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute] Consortium, with many of the leading tech companies represented. Afterwards several AI researchers approached me and thanked the MLA for all of our incredibly important work in this field. I’m grateful to our organization for supporting the initiative.”
Recommended resource: “The yearly MLA conference is really a wonderful opportunity to put a face to people whose work you’re reading. This past January I finally had the chance to sit down and connect with people whom I had only known through writing. Don’t hesitate to reach out to people and invite them to coffee. Ask for a quick chat after a panel with someone whose work you like. We are all there to connect.”