Technological developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) pose intricate and complex ethical questions that the industry alone cannot answer. Important research questions in the application of AI should be dealt with not only by companies building and deploying the technology, but also by independent academic institutions and researchers from diverse disciplines such that social, economic, and policy implications are understood and properly addressed.

To support AI ethics research in the Asia Pacific region, Facebook partnered with CCSG and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (esteemed co-chair of the Permanent Working Group on Ethics and Data Protection in AI of the Global Privacy Assembly) and invited research proposals in December 2019. This Request for Proposals (RFP) aimed to support independent AI ethics research that takes local traditional knowledge and regionally diverse perspectives into consideration. The RFP was open to academic institutions, think tanks, and research organizations registered and operational across Asia Pacific.

A number of knowledge exchange events have been planned, including the Responsible AI Forum 2021 to be held in Munich, Germany by The Technical University of Munich and a Roundtable to be organized by Facebook and CCSG in Hong Kong in September 2021. These events aim to bring together interested stakeholders and the awardees of this Research Initiative to discuss on the responsible use of AI.