Introducing Clay, Kainos' AI-powered digital human
At AI Con 2024, Kainos is set to showcase Clay, an AI-powered digital panellist that will join a panel of human experts on stage. This new addition offers a glimpse into the evolving role of AI in live discussions, demonstrating the potential of AI to contribute meaningfully in real time, interactive settings.
The purpose behind Clay
Clay was developed to explore the maturity and capability of AI services that can be integrated to assist and enhance human conversations by providing contextually relevant insights. Powered by advanced AI services from Microsoft Azure and OpenAI including speech-to-text and text-to-speech services, Clay listens to the panel discussion and answers questions as they arise, building on the topics being discussed.
What sets Clay apart is its ability to engage with both voice and a visual avatar, creating a more immersive interaction and presenting the AI as a true participant, rather than a disembodied voice.
What Clay represents for the future
Clay's appearance at AI Con signals the growing maturity of AI systems and their potential applications in a variety of contexts. In environments where quick, data-driven insights are essential - such as business meetings, live events, or collaborative workspaces - AI like Clay could enrich conversations and support more informed decision-making.
Clay represents an early step towards the future of AI-assisted collaboration, where AI can take an active role in helping to drive conversations and provide information.
Ethical considerations in Clay’s development
The development of Clay follows Kainos’ Responsible AI methodology, which ensures that ethical considerations are embedded in the AI’s design and operation. This includes the implementation of AI guardrails to avoid misinformation, reduce potential harm, and ensure transparency in its outputs. By integrating these ethical frameworks, the system is designed to operate responsibly and in alignment with broader societal and organisational values.
In designing Clay’s avatar, a conscious decision was made to present an image of a Caucasian male in his 20s to 30s. This reflects the majority demographic on the panel and avoids artificially improving the diversity of the group. While AI systems like Clay draw from large datasets and may reflect dominant viewpoints, Clay itself has no inherent ethnicity or race. The choice of this specific avatar was to demonstrate that the onus is on event organisers to ensure panel diversity and not to use Clay to improve representation.
This approach reflects Kainos' commitment to developing AI that not only demonstrates technical capability but also prioritises safety, trust, and ethical governance. As AI becomes more prevalent in various industries, the need for such responsible development practices will only increase.