When it comes to artificial intelligence, Alexander Titus is devoted to exploring impact.

“What's possible today? What are we concerned about? What are we excited about with how AI is used in the life sciences?” the USC Iovine and Young Academy research assistant professor asks. Focusing on Transformative AI at the USC Iovine and Young Academy, Titus is also a Principal Scientist at the Information Sciences Institute at USC. His career and research has been steadfast in unlocking evolving unknowns in tech, researching at the intersection of artificial intelligence and machine learning while exploring the development of responsible technology. 

On December 6, Titus brought his work to Washington D.C. as part of the 8th installment of the Senate’s bipartisan AI Insight Forum, providing a written statement on AI innovation. Titus’ perspective takes a national and international stage. His words have the potential to inform policy dialogue and the way the government – and the world at large – view artificial intelligence’s expanding footprint. 

The statement, “Risk, Alignment, & Guarding Against Doomsday Scenarios,” is now available to read on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s website. But don’t let the title scare you. While Titus does assess risks associated with AI’s power if not developed effectively, he also explores restrictions arising from fear and what it means to “maximize the opportunity of AI in the life sciences.” Through his remarks, Titus hopes to convey that there is no universally applicable approach to considering how AI influences society. Nuance is significant. He feels more affected stakeholders – not just “technical AI nerds” and policy makers – should join in discussions too. 

“We need patients and affected persons and all that kind of stuff in the conversation as well. And so that refined view on how impact happens and then having the impacted parties involved is really where I think we need to be going with this,” he explains. 

Titus’ national policy-affecting insight extends beyond the Senate floor, as he’s also a commissioner for the National Security Commission for Emerging Biotechnology, which recently released its interim report. This work culminates in a comprehensive report that will reach Congress in December. 

“The Commission’s recommendations, when implemented, will ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in biotechnology development and deployment,” the report states. 

“I hear a lot about the concerns about AI and their impact on the world, and particularly in biology. And I wasn't finding the data in the research that I needed to make good policy decisions. And so I decided to go into academia and do some other research that needed to be done,” Titus explains of his inspiration to delve into these delicate issues. 

Acting as the inaugural Principal Director for Biotechnology at the Department of Defense, Titus launched biotechnology modernization and led the development of the DoD’s biotechnology strategy. He also earned Ph.D. in AI/ML and cancer genomics from Dartmouth College and a dual B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Puget Sound. From a pre-med undergraduate with a love of computer science, he set his sights on the intersection of AI and the government, targeting national security and global population. Titus not only worked with Google on pandemic response and vaccine management using AI, he also addressed AI within environment and conservation as well. 

“How do we use AI and drones to effectively manage conservation of elephant populations?” is yet another illustration of the queries he raises. 

For Titus, AI’s possibilities – doomsday scenarios or not – are profound, as well as culturally and biologically diverse. 

“The reason I work in AI is that you can impact so many different groups, parts of the world, the environment, and society,” he shares. 

Now at IYA, Titus is introducing his research to students so they can think critically about the broad-spectrum implications of AI. Having spent time collaborating with startups, big companies, and government, he’s eager to offer his viewpoints as mechanisms to widen their horizons while staying true to their vision. 

He states, “You can be so hyper-focused on a couple sets of tasks that you need to get done in order to launch your product or raise your money …  that you forget to step back and look at the bigger picture and research …  So how do we bring the bigger picture while not losing that go-getter attitude?”

Titus notes that everyone at IYA is poised to build something new that’s going to impact the world, be it a company or a social movement. Progress inexorably marches on. As AI continues to shape society and beyond, his all-embracing role is to ensure innovation doesn’t lose sight of its greater technological imprint. 

Alexander Titus' career and research has been steadfast in unlocking evolving unknowns in tech, researching at the intersection of artificial intelligence and machine learning while exploring the development of responsible  technology. 

Alexander Titus Examines the Power of Artificial Intelligence (and Its Future)