Another Crazy Day in AI: Building Human-Centered Systems
- Wowza Team
- May 9
- 4 min read
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
Ah, Friday night. Time to exhale, reflect, and maybe put your phone on Do Not Disturb—right after you catch up on the latest in AI. This week, Microsoft Research dropped something a little deeper than your average update: a white paper and podcast on Societal AI. It’s an interdisciplinary framework that prioritizes fairness, ethics, and the public good. Sounds like the future we want, right?
You thought predictive AI was smart? Causal AI is here to show us the way forward—with real impact on our decisions.
Meanwhile, HeyGen’s new AI avatar can copy your voice and turn it into facial expressions so realistic, your Zoom stand-in might be more expressive than you.
Week’s over—time to recharge for whatever’s next!
Here's another crazy day in AI:
A framework for responsible AI integration
How companies are using Causal AI for better results
HeyGen Avatar IV brings voice-driven motion to life
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Designing AI That Works for Society
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
What if AI wasn't just a powerful tool, but also a trusted social partner that understands and responds to our diverse human needs?
In a new white paper titled Societal AI: Building human-centered AI systems, Microsoft researchers Beibei Shi, Haotian Li, and Xing Xie explore how artificial intelligence is becoming intertwined with everyday structures that affect people and institutions. The paper is grounded in more than a decade of work on responsible AI at Microsoft and draws on collaborations across disciplines like philosophy, sociology, psychology, and law. The authors propose that designing better AI systems means asking better questions—ones that consider values, culture, and human needs alongside technical advancement.
What the research outlines:
A framework that connects AI research with fields like ethics, public policy, and the social sciences
Ten foundational questions to guide responsible development, from fairness and creativity to governance and collaboration
Reflections from projects like the Value Compass, which seek to translate philosophical theories into actionable approaches for aligning AI with human values
Principles such as harmony, synergy, and resilience that emphasize trust, cooperation, and adaptability
The recognition of AI as a participant in societal systems—not just a tool, but something that can shape and be shaped by human life
Opportunities and tensions in interdisciplinary work, including the need to bridge communication gaps between fields
Xing Xie joins host Gretchen Huizinga on the Microsoft Research Abstracts podcast to discuss the motivations behind the paper and the team’s collaborative process. He reflects on what it takes to frame questions like “What are human values?” in ways that both social scientists and AI engineers can engage with. The episode adds context to the written research, offering a window into how cross-disciplinary thinking can open up new directions for AI.
The paper doesn’t position itself as a definitive guide—it’s more of a shared reference point for researchers, policymakers, technologists, and others who are shaping the future of intelligent systems. It acknowledges the complexities and trade-offs involved in designing AI that interacts with the world in meaningful ways. It also invites more people into the conversation, recognizing that the questions we ask today will influence how these systems function tomorrow.
This kind of work helps ground AI in the reality of public life. It encourages thoughtful design that takes human diversity seriously—not just in terms of technical edge cases, but in terms of lived experience, cultural context, and collective responsibility. There’s no easy path forward, but the direction is clear: building systems that understand and respond to more than just data.
Read the full blog here.
Read the full paper here.
Listen to the podcast here.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
How Companies Are Using Causal AI for Better Results
/Quentin Gallea, Martin Huber, Konstantinos Apostolatos, on I by IMD
Traditional AI tells us what might happen, but causal AI reveals what will happen if we take action. This emerging field focuses on identifying cause-and-effect relationships, helping businesses accurately measure the impact of decisions like ad spending, policy changes, or product tweaks. Unlike predictive models, causal AI enables deeper insight into why results occur—not just that they do. Companies like Netflix and Booking.com are already integrating causal AI to make smarter, more accountable decisions.
Read more here.
HeyGen Avatar IV Brings Voice-Driven Motion to Life
/Joshua Xu, Co-Founder and CEO, on X
HeyGen has launched Avatar IV, its most advanced AI avatar model yet—capable of turning a single photo and voice recording into a stunningly realistic, emotionally expressive video. Unlike previous generations, Avatar IV doesn’t just sync words—it interprets emotion, cadence, and tone to animate micro-expressions and natural head movements. It works even with profile photos and illustrated characters, making it a breakthrough tool for content creators, podcasters, and virtual storytellers. From talking pets to anime avatars, it pushes the boundary between real and rendered.
Read more here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
EXCITING NEWS:
The Another Crazy Day in AI newsletter is on LinkedIn!!!
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