ARX Series 3 June 2020
AI Ethics in the Corporate World
Webinar presented by CFA Institute and Tencent Finance Academy (Hong Kong)
As the applications of artificial intelligence proliferate, will there be a radical shift in how people behave and make critical decisions? Will AI strengthen or weaken the role of ethics?
Webinar presentation: AI Ethics in the Corporate World
Download PDFOverview
World com, Enron, Lehman Brothers, are just some of the most glaring examples of debacles that occurred predominantly as a result of unethical practices. Most CEOs would agree that ethical behavior is the most important element in the organizational culture. No one would openly challenge ethical behavior for fear of being seen as siding with the opposite camp, i.e. representing the dark, shameful and evil.
In reality, the lure of short-term financial gain and self-gratification has led many senior executives to behave unethically whenever opportunities arise. Especially when no one seems to be watching and the stiff punishment of imprisonment and hefty fines seem remote.
Citing a famous quote from Dr Philip Zimbardo, the Professor Emeritus of Stanford University – “Under the right conditions good people can be induced, seduced, and initiated to act unethically.” In other words, situational influences may tempt or pressure even the most morally upright person to do the wrong thing.
Interestingly, with the advance of 5G, IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI); some have argued that the cost of monitoring, detecting and deterring unethical practices at work will diminish rapidly. Other schools of thought, however, argue that AI could be manipulated by unscrupulous actors to more easily indulge in unethical decision making for their own benefits.
Regardless of which school of thought you support, AI has already arrived onto the corporate scene and its widespread adoption is only a matter of time.. With the proliferation of A.I. applications, will there be a radical shift in how people behave and make critical decisions, in particular in ethics? In this webinar, we look into three areas:
- Origin of unethical behavior in the modern corporate settings. Where and how does it come about?
- How can the dawn of AI help to strengthen ethical practices?
- What are the potential ethical shortcomings in the use of AI?
Speakers:
- Alan Lok, CFA, Director, Ethics Education and Professional Standards, Asia-Pacific, CFA Institute
- Dorothy Chau, PhD, Director of Hong Kong, Macao, and Cross-border Financial Affairs, Tencent
- Laurel Teo, CFA, Board Member, CFA Society Singapore
- Justin Ong, CFA, President, CFA Society Malaysia
Supported by:
- CFA Society Singapore
- CFA Society Malaysia
Watch the Webinar
Recorded: 3 June 2020.
Duration: 1 hr 41 min.
Presenters
Dr Lok is responsible for nurturing ethics trainers, producing ethics bite-size media as well as facilitating member societies to promote ethical behavior in their local capital markets. In his role, Dr Lok works with member societies to advance awareness and adoption of CFA Institute ethics and standards, as well as policy positions on ethical conduct and culture related issues. This involves outreach to local stakeholders, including the industry, financial regulator, and the public across the APAC markets. Dr Lok also manages ethics related content and events together with societies leaders as well as facilitating their outreach activities on the Asia-Pacific Research Exchange (ARX) post publication.
Dr Lok joined CFA Institute in February 2014 as the Director of Capital Markets Policy in the Standards & Advocacy Division (APAC) before moving to the role of Director, Society Advocacy Engagement (APAC) in January 2017. In that role, Dr Lok has built up close relationships with society leaders and volunteers in the APAC region. Dr Lok was also responsible for directing the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Research Exchange (ARX). Over the years, he co-authored two monographs on portfolio pumping and market manipulation, submitted numerous regulatory consultation papers, written many blogs & articles and supported the Singapore Society in their Industry Research series in the Singapore Business Times.
During the decade prior to joining CFA Institute, Dr Lok was the senior investment manager of a Chinese solar-energy conglomerate and worked as both a buy and sell-side research analyst in Singapore. Dr Lok also served as the Adjunct head of two modules in Nanyang Technological University (南阳理工学院) as well as the module leaders for various universities in Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, and Singapore.
Dr Lok graduated with a degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2003. Subsequently, he went on to read his MBA at the University of Manchester in 2013. He obtained the FRM certification from the Global Association of Risk Professionals in 2007 and was subsequently awarded the CFA certification from the CFA Institute in 2008. Dr Lok was recently awarded a doctorate degree from the University of Middlesex, London in 2021. His latest publication was a co-authorship with ACCA entitled “21 Sector Analysis: A Questioning Framework for Investors”.
Dr. Chau is currently the Director of Hong Kong, Macao, and Cross-border Financial Affairs at Tencent. Before joining Tencent, she was a Senior Lecturer at the HK Baptist University, within the School of Business. Dr. Chau was also the Director of the new Master in Finance (FinTech and Financial Analytics), bringing together the best minds and leaders in Finance, FinTech, A.I., RegTech, Privacy and Cybersecurity. With over 8 years in this space, Dr. Chau is a seasoned FinTech professional with a strong reputation as being an industry and academic liaison. Dr. Chau’s deep industry connections has allowed her to bring the biggest and best organizations such as Tencent, Alipay, IBM, UBS, BNP Paribas, Ant Financial, Deloitte, Ping An Bank, Crypto.com and others to work with her to integrate content into her programmes, where she has successfully built industry-academic collaboration. She is also the advisor and chairman of the Data Privacy Special Interest Group of the Institute of Financial Technologists of Asia (IFTA) and the founding council member and chairman of the blockchain education committee of the Hong Kong Blockchain Development Association (HKBCDA).
Dr. Chau is also the Co-Chair of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and inducted as a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP). In addition to her CIPP/A and CIPM certifications, her Certified Information Privacy Professional / Europe (CIPP/E) certification makes her a sought out expert on the topic of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where she has presented to audiences both locally in Hong Kong and China, including CPA Australia, The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, The Hong Kong Independent Non-executive Director Association, HKUSPACE, The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, The Hong Kong Institute of Directors, and more.
Dr Chau received her doctoral degree in philosophy in 2012, in the Department of Management and Marketing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and was responsible for teaching and coordinating projects relating to FinTech, Computer Ethics, CRM and business intelligence, Business process and workflow, and Business and IS strategies. Dr Chau’s research interests include IT governance, Financial Technology, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency. She has published 5 papers in international journals such as Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management.
Justin is a Partner with Deloitte Asia Pacific. Based out of Kuala Lumpur office, he is the Country Leader for Financial Services Industry and Risk Consulting practice in Malaysia. In his role, he enjoys engaging with key stakeholders in the financial services ecosystem (regulatory bodies, industry players, and talents), by bringing the latest thinking to achieve a progressive, sustainable and resilient future. In the past decades, he has worked with more than 50 regulatory bodies and financial services institutions in the regions, across Asia Pacific (i.e., Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia), Europe and Africa. He supported Boards and C-suites, in their transformation programme, focusing on digital, governance, risk management, compliance, and audit related matters. In addition, he is an active volunteer with CFA Institute and CFA Society Malaysia, where he has served in various leadership positions since 2015.
Laurel Teo, Ph.D., CFA, is a behavioural scientist who studies how new technologies such as artificial intelligence influence the way people think, feel, and behave in organizational settings. Her research interests include the impact of technological changes on privacy issues and the future of work. Dr. Teo is currently a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore. Dr. Teo was previously Director, Society Advocacy Engagement, at CFA Institute, where she supported CFA member societies in Asia Pacific in regulatory outreach, market integrity research, and investor protection programs. Before joining CFA Institute, she was a consultant in investor relations. Dr. Teo began her career as a political and business journalist reporting in Singapore and Indonesia with leading newspapers. She earned her Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2011 and has been elected to the board of CFA Society Singapore since 2018. She is currently the honorary secretary of CFA Society Singapore. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) double majoring in Anthropology and Chinese from Yale University, and her Ph.D. in Business (Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources) from Singapore Management University.