All you need to know about Mindful AI Lab, the start-up headed by Suchana Seth who killed her 4-year-old son

 

A recent headline thrust a relatively unknown artificial intelligence startup into the spotlight. The focal point of this narrative is Suchana Seth, the CEO, who is currently facing charges related to the tragic demise of her four-year-old son in Goa.

The unfolding of this unsettling incident began on a Tuesday when Seth, apparently concealing her child's lifeless form in a bag, departed for Bengaluru via taxi. The shocking revelation emerged when the housekeeping staff at the Goa service apartment, where Seth had been residing with her child, discovered telltale signs of blood on a towel. Subsequently, the Goa police apprehended Seth in Chitradurga, Karnataka, though the motive behind the tragic event remains unclear.

At the helm of The Mindful AI Lab, Seth guides a team that, as per its LinkedIn profile, comprises fewer than 10 members. The company, as detailed on its official website, specializes in a fusion of capabilities, including 'privacy by design,' 'bias mitigation,' 'explainable AI,' 'robust AI,' and governance of AI, all underscored by a profound understanding of the ethical dimensions of emerging technologies.

The ethos of The Mindful AI Lab revolves around empowering individuals to construct ethical AI. Their 'About Us' section emphasizes the belief that ethical thinking is a trainable skill. The company actively engages in co-creating AI ethics ownership and accountability structures tailored to the specific context of each team. It distances itself from generic, automated AI ethics risk assessment tools, preferring to concentrate on guiding the operationalization of ethics in the realm of real-world data. Their commitment extends to staying abreast of the latest developments in AI ethics practice, enabling teams to focus on crafting exceptional data products.

The Mindful AI Lab takes pride in operationalizing ethics throughout every stage of the AI project life cycle, aligning with industry standards and contemporary research. The company extends services such as technical design, audits, and post-deployment advisory services for AI products and data practices. It collaborates with organizations to implement responsible AI strategies in harmony with their unique needs, values, and objectives.

Curiously, the team roster only features Seth's name. Her bio reveals a rich tapestry of experiences, including advising on IoT ethics, mentoring data-for-good projects with DataKind, and leading data science workshops. With a Mozilla Fellowship at Data & Society, a Fellowship at the Berkman Klein Centre at Harvard University, and a research fellowship at the Raman Research Institute, Seth brings a wealth of 12 years of expertise in guiding data science teams.