Google's latest AI project aims to make machines work better with people

As researchers work to make sure artificial intelligence has a harder time going rogue on us, Google's latest move also focuses on improving AI research alongside human beings.

The tech and data giant announced the People-AI Reasearch (PAIR) initiative, which hopes to provide studies and resources for AI development and interaction with an emphasis of the more 'human' aspects of its use.

According to Google's official blog, PAIR's goals are providing proper educational and practical resources for three major groups: engineers and researchers developing their own AI, experts using AI to advance professional fields and everyday users that require inclusive AI access to use it to its fullest.

PAIR up

Several publications and open-source materials are already being collected under PAIR's umbrella — to include visualization tools like Facets Overview, which Google claims will assist researchers in monitoring machine learning to better train AI systems.

Finally, PAIR is also looking to support external research on the effects of AI-to-human interaction, with Google already bringing in professors from Harvard and MIT to consult "on education and science in the age of AI."

Though it may be a while before PAIR's efforts see tangible results, if ever, it's crucial that inclusive, accessible, and ethical guidelines in AI research are developed to keep the technology from going to an exclusive or even dystopian direction — though the latter may just be our childhood reading sci-fi comics talking.