Host Justin Charles talks with Dr. Ahmed Whitt, Director of the Center for Wealth Equity, about how AI is reshaping the economy. They discuss its potential, risks like bias and job loss, and how the CHIPS and Science Act can support inclusive growth in uncertain times.
In this episode of Live with Living Cities, host Justin Charles sits down with Dr. Ahmed Whitt, Director of the Center for Wealth Equity, for a timely and thought-provoking conversation about the rise of artificial intelligence and its far-reaching impact on our economy and communities. As AI rapidly transforms industries, reshapes how we work, and influences who has access to opportunity, this conversation delves into both the promise and the perils of this powerful technology.
This episode examines how AI can drive innovation and productivity—but also how it can deepen existing inequalities if left unchecked. It also explores the CHIPS and Science Act and how federal investments in technology and infrastructure can be leveraged to build more inclusive and equitable economic systems—especially in an era of growing political division and economic uncertainty.
Whether you’re a policymaker, a tech enthusiast, or someone passionate about equitable economic development, this episode offers critical insights on what it takes to ensure the AI revolution benefits everyone.
View Transcript“Recently with AI, we've seen similar disparities to maybe 10 or 15 years ago, where there were clusters of job types that overlapped with demographic features that were more likely to impact one group of people over the other.”
“Thinking about how our underwriting system has grown to embed kind of these indirect—we’ll call them indirect—inequalities... that same thing projects forward in AI lending if we do not take advantage of this moment.”
“The other [concern] is really more about AI development and the systems themselves and how they're trained—specifically the historical data that we know is already somewhat baked in with the inequalities and inequities that we've seen over the past 20 years in healthcare, in lending and again in hiring.”
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