12 Days of Content from Salesforce's Office of Ethical and Humane Use

The Office of Ethical & Humane Use recently shared 12 days of our best content from 2023 because we are CELEBRATING!

What are we celebrating you may ask? To name a few things:

1 year of incredibly pivotal and industry-defining work, hello ethical generative AI!

2 times the number of employees. Our office grew by nearly double this year as well as the growth of our partnerships around the world.

3 force-to-be-reckoned with sub-teams in the Office of Ethical & Humane Use that make trust, ethics, and accessibility come to life at Salesforce: Responsible AI & Technology, Ethical Use Policy, and Product Accessibility & Inclusive Design.

4 weeks left until the holiday season/end of the year when we all will indulge in a well-deserved rest.

And soon-to-be 5 golden rings to celebrate our 5-year anniversary! Almost 5 years ago, The Office of Ethical & Humane Use was inaugurated, setting out to achieve ethical product excellence for Salesforce.

Day 1

We’re taking it back to basics... 2023 was the year of Trusted AI, see how we developed AI ethically for Salesforce, what went on behind the scenes, and what we focused on to ensure our AI products are trusted and ethical.

Day 2

Check out our first Harvard Business Review article on Managing the Risks of Generative AI, authored by Kathy Baxter and Yoav Schlesinger. We introduced our 5 guidelines for responsible generative AI: Accurate, Safe, Honest, Empowering, and Sustainable.

While the race is on to the end of the year, AI isn’t something to rush into without understanding the potential risks and unintended consequences at play. This article is designed to help enterprises, IT leaders, customers, policymakers, and more take responsibility and ensure they’re using AI ethically and mitigating potential harm. Specifically, they need to: use zero or first-party data, keep data fresh and well-labeled, ensure there’s a human in the loop, test and re-test, and get feedback. Cozy up and give this piece a thorough read to get all the details on the ethical framework for Generative AI.

Day 3

We are proud to share our video, Everyone. See how we’re inspired to consider all of those around us! We know our differences are our strengths and that’s one reason why we design with everyone in mind. We believe technology has the power to unlock human potential to change the world. At Salesforce’s Office of Ethical & Humane Use, we treat technology as an extension of human potential, orienting around the user experience to create a world where everyone has a seat at the table.

Day 4

It’s day 4 and the calling birds are taking you right into the Oval Office! Salesforce was one of just 15 companies that recently joined the White House to watch the signing of the AI Executive Order, marking the most significant action a government has taken on AI to date. In addition, there was also a landmark code of conduct created, outlining how companies should mitigate risks as they develop advanced AI. Kathy Baxter and Sabastian Niles were honored to represent Salesforce and witness the signing of the AI EO at the White House. Paula Goldman and Eric Loeb penned 7 opportunities to deepen trust in AI in response to the AI EO.

Day 5

Feeling FOMO because you missed Dreamforce? Never fear! You can catch all the great content on Salesforce+ including an overview of the Einstein Trust Layer and how Salesforce keeps customers safe.

Day 6

On Day 6, Paula Goldman shares that it’s humans, not superhumans that we need to worry about. The truth is that no one has a crystal ball for the future of AI; however, businesses and governments have many of the tools they need to address the urgent issues that AI presents today. By putting in place those safeguards, we can all create trustworthy systems that get better with each generation of this transformative technology. There’s no time like the present to build the future we want.

Day 7

No need to worry about swans on the 7th day of our 12 days of content! Instead, let’s start asking how to build accessible technology for everyone. This piece by Donielle Berg takes a closer look at the considerations innovators should make of the full spectrum of human experience and how approaching technology with more empathy can lead to better user experiences for everyone. As we consider how designers and users with disabilities bring their experiences into the professional world, a particular question comes to mind: who gets to have a good experience with technology?

Day 8

Today, we're going back to an oldie but goodie. This case study was coauthored in collaboration between Salesforce, the World Economic Forum, and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was published in September 2022. It goes deep into the story of operationalizing technology ethics within Salesforce, emphasizing ethics, inclusion, accessibility, and making a positive impact.

Day 9

Live from New York at the Salesforce World Tour, it’s day number 9 of OEHU’s 12 days of content!! Paula Goldman reflects on the past five years of ethical tech at Salesforce, our anniversary, and what’s facing us for the next five years. Paula breaks down the eras of AI that we’ve seen and what the Office of Ethical & Humane Use is committing to next year when it comes to ethical tech.

“I’m encouraged to see Trust become as central to the AI conversation as the technology itself. And I feel heartened that more and more of us think about the ethical implications of today’s most exciting innovations, and take steps today to ensure safe, trustworthy AI tomorrow.” - Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer

Day 10

Behind door number 10 is a curated list of Trailhead modules wherever you are on your learning journey! You don't have to be a Salesforce customer to access our free, online learning platform. Creating ethical and inclusive products is everyone’s responsibility whether you're using Salesforce or not. We offer our learnings to the public as resources to help others on their journeys toward ethical and inclusive products and Trailhead is the perfect place to start better understanding how you can center these considerations in your day-to-day. Check out the "Building Ethical and Inclusive Products" Trailmix.

Day 11

There are no pipers piping today! Instead, we’re diving into the dynamic world of AI and Salesforce’s updated AI Acceptable Use Policy! Uncover the policies guiding responsible AI usage, from transparency to privacy safeguards with this blog post! In August, we announced this update to our existing AI AUP policy to include generative AI changes and to reflect new industry standards we developed with our partners like OpenAI, Anthropic, and government organizations. Explore how digital guardrails can help ensure a harmonious and ethical existence in the ever-evolving landscape of AI and illuminate our commitment to building a virtuous and transparent digital future.

Day 12

On this final day of content, we look to the future of automated assistants. Kathy Baxter and Yoav Schlesinger published How Companies Can Build Trustworthy AI Assistants in the Harvard Business Review. The journey of the AI assistant is already well underway. We’re seeing the evolution as agents take shape in three phases: assistant, concierge, and agent. This evolution is exciting and promises to make our lives much easier — eliminating mundane tasks and helping us become more productive. But anyone who has ever had an assistant knows that the relationship only works if there is trust. We explore what can go wrong with autonomous agents, and how companies can deploy them responsibly.

We hope you've enjoyed a look back at 2023 and learned as much as we have these last five years! Here's to the next five!