AAAI Statement Condemning Racism and Calling to Action
As a scientific society, AAAI is against the violence against Black people and the systemic racism that has gone unaddressed for too long.
There has been a never ending fight for equality and inclusion for people of color. History and current events show how systematic racism promotes the idea that those who are not in the majority deserve less. Many people of color are afforded less opportunity, less education, and less freedom because of this racism. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and a multitude of others had their lives taken because of this racism. Enough is enough. We can no longer sit on the sidelines and just say the right words and ignore the problems. We can no longer let our colleagues, neighbors, and fellow human beings receive anything less than respect and equal treatment. All of us must stand with and beside people of color and let their voices be heard. We cannot speak for those whose lives are at risk simply because of their race, but what we can do is ensure that education, opportunity, justice, and the freedom to live is afforded to each and every person.
AAAI is committed to make a change. We endorse the call to action from Black in Computing and clearly and unequivocally reaffirm that diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to the well-being of our society.
We believe words must be backed up with actions that reaffirm to those in the minority that they are valued for their ideas, their cultures, their differences, and their similarities. We foster diversity and inclusion for each and every person.
AAAI is committed to:
- Continuously listening, learning, supporting, and advocating for Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color who continue to experience the damaging effects of racism and are severely underrepresented in the computing community.
- Examining the role of AI and computer algorithms that increasingly shape our society and perpetuate racism and bias. AI is uniquely able to shape society, but needs do so in ways that promote justice and eliminate systemic inequities.
- Improving current policies and practices in appointing people for leadership roles in AAAI and AAAI sponsored conferences, and remaining open to recommendations for other policies and practices that should be reviewed. The objective is to identify existing forms of bias and discrimination, racial and otherwise, and to create ways to bring down barriers that prevent equal participation.
AAAI has been long commited to diversity, equity, and inclusion and will increase its efforts to be an instrument of change for the AI community. The AAAI Diversity and Inclusion Committee is a key catalyst of these activities and welcomes your contributions and ideas. The annual AAAI conference holds a variety of programs to be proactive in this respect. In 2020, several new events resulted from a call for community proposals, including research and career mentoring events, access to education, improving the pipeline, and addressing differently abled members of the AI community. AAAI has a budget allocated for diversity and inclusion programs, which has been increasing every year. But we can do much more.
AAAI pledges to support the Black in Computing movement and the many other organizations in being an instrument of change in our field and in our society. We invite all of our members to be a part of the change within and beyond the AAAI community.
Yolanda Gil, AAAI President
Bart Selman, AAAI President Elect
Subbarao Kambhampati, AAAI Past President
David E. Smith, AAAI Secretary-Treasurer
AAAI Executive Council:
Eugene Freuder (University College Cork, Ireland)
Claire Monteleoni (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)
Cynthia Rudin (Duke University, USA)
Matthijs Spaan (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands)
Cristina Conati (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Eric Eaton (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Ayanna Howard (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
Ariel Procaccia (Harvard University, USA)
Yiling Chen (Harvard University, USA)
Judy Goldsmith (Kentucky University, USA)
Odest Chadwicke Jenkins (University of Michigan, USA)
Brian Scassellati (Yale University, USA)
Sven Koenig (University of Southern California)
Charles Isbell (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
Maria Gini (University of Minnesota, USA)
Stephen F. Smith (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
AAAI Committee on Diversity and Inclusion:
Maria Gini, Chair (University of Minnesota, USA)
Monica Anderson (University of Alabama, USA)
Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera (University of Utah, USA)
Nate Derbinsky (Northeastern University, USA)
Tawanna Dillahunt (University of Michigan, USA)
Odest Chadwicke Jenkins (University of Michigan, USA)
Melanie Moses (University of New Mexico, USA)
Anita Raja (Hunter College, CUNY, USA)
Shana K. Watters (University of Minnesota, USA)
This message was posted and sent to AAAI members on June 22, 2020.