Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect of Ethical AI Practice for Salesforce, appointed to EqualAI Board of Directors

Long-time AI industry advocate and expert adds her perspectives to a powerful group dedicated to progressing responsible, ethical AI

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 26, 2022 — EqualAI, a nonprofit organization and leading voice focused on reducing unconscious bias in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), today announced the appointment of Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect of Ethical AI Practice at Salesforce, to its board of directors. As part of the Board, Baxter will help scale the organization’s impact, identify optimal partners and ensure work with corporate members is in line with best practices for responsible AI governance.

“Kathy has long been a strong voice for both the need for and mechanisms to produce the ethical deployment of AI,” said Miriam Vogel, president and CEO of EqualAI and Chair of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC). “She has tremendous experience with navigating the often-complex path to making artificial intelligence a more equitable tool for a broader cross-section. Her wealth of knowledge and deep passion for these issues will be a profound contribution to our board and its mission.”

Kathy Baxter was part of the first wave of AI ethicists in the tech industry, and has consistently been an outspoken pioneer and advocate for fair, ethical and responsible technology. From the beginning, she’s championed ethical and responsible technology to be at the foundation of the AI that companies build and use, now and in the future. She has been active in the community by participating in working groups (e.g., NIST AI Risk Management Framework), teaching (e.g., EqualAI Responsible Governance of AI badge program), serving on ethics advisory councils (e.g., Singapore’s Ethical Use of AI and Data Advisory Council), and organizing workshops among her peers to share lessons learned. Recognizing the need to expand these efforts beyond the US, Baxter has also made a concerted effort to engage with, learn from, and share her perspective with representatives around the world.

“AI is becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives, and it’s more important than ever to educate practitioners, policymakers, and users about how AI should be built and deployed in ethical ways,” said Kathy Baxter, Principal Architect of Ethical AI at Salesforce. “EqualAI plays an important role in ensuring fair, humane, and accountable growth as AI applications continue to expand.”

In her role as a Principal Architect of Ethical AI Practice at Salesforce, Baxter develops research-informed best practice to educate Salesforce employees, customers, and the industry on the development of responsible AI. She collaborates and partners with external AI and ethics experts to continuously evolve Salesforce policies, practices, and products.

Prior to Salesforce, she worked at Google, eBay, and Oracle in User Experience Research. She received her MS in Engineering Psychology and BS in Applied Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is the co-author of “Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Research Methodologies.”

About EqualAI

EqualAI is a nonprofit organization that was created to reduce unconscious bias in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) through the development of responsible AI governance. AI is transforming our society— enabling important and exciting developments that were unimaginable just a few years ago. With these immense benefits comes significant responsibility. Together with leaders and experts across industry, academia, technology, and government, EqualAI is developing standards and tools to increase awareness and reduce bias, as well as identifying regulatory and policy solutions. EqualAI’s podcast “In AI we Trust?” with Miriam Vogel and Kay Firth-Butterfield of the World Economic Forum aims to answer a ‘big question’ in responsible AI use with prominent lawmakers, leading thinkers, and internationally renowned authors. EqualAI’s Badge program on responsible AI governance, also in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, provides senior executives with guidance on best practices and strategies to develop and deploy trustworthy AI across enterprises. In each of its efforts, EqualAI invites partners to join a community of leading thinkers and practitioners committed to ensuring that AI is built by and for a broader cross-section of our population.