Is “smart” technology the ultimate goal, asked Dr. Nathan C. Walker, when giving a keynote presentation at the annual Switchboard Confluence for the International Rescue Committee? Can we design and deploy artificial intelligence in ways that move us from “smart” to “wise” technology? If so, how can we measure this shift and apply wise methods to protect vulnerable populations? Drawing upon his Solutions Scholarship approach at the AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers, Dr. Nathan C. Walker reframes AI ethics as a generative practice, one that not only upholds the principle of nonmaleficence (do no harm) but also affirms beneficence (the commitment to do good). His keynote challenges the moral distance in ethical decision-making at every stage of the AI lifecycle and calls for active engagement from all stakeholders, whether resettlement caseworkers, volunteers in community-based organizations, or leaders of refugee service agencies. Dr. Walker applies frameworks like the AI & Human Rights Index and the practice of “sustained ethical decision-making” across the development, design, deployment, and monitoring of AI. He advocates for using technology not just to be smart but to foster collective wisdom, resilience, self-reliance, and a common good across borders and generations.
