Alka Patel has departed her role as head of artificial intelligence ethics policy at the Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelliigence Center (JAIC) after 20 months in the job.
“My efforts focused across workforce, acquisition, policy, and international dialogues, having a chance to work with industry, partners and allies,” Patel wrote in a LinkedIn post.
DOD appointed her to the position in early 2020 to help the JAIC implement department-wide “Responsible AI” initiatives with the goal to ensure that the Pentagon's AI-based systems comply with ethical standards.
She previously worked as research intern at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute and executive director of the PwC-sponsored Risk and Regulatory Services Innovation Center at Carnegie Mellon University.
In her farewell message, Patel noted that she will move from Washington, D.C., to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.