Ottawa, Ontario (CAN)-based AI governance firm NuEnergy.ai has achieved a significant milestone by securing a U.S. patent on its Machine Trust Index (MTI) methodology. This standardized measurement for artificial intelligence (AI) oversight comes at a time when competition in the rapidly evolving field of AI visibility and explainability is becoming increasingly intense. The patent gives NuEnergy.ai a unique advantage and solid legal protection.
The MTI framework was developed in 2018, even before the recent surge in investment for generative AI. According to Harry Major, NuEnergy’s VP of Software, “AI is transforming numerous industries and driving efficiency through innovative solutions. However, as these systems become more integrated into our daily lives, it is crucial to ensure their ethical and responsible use.”
NuEnergy.ai, founded in 2017 by Niraj Bhargava and a team of technical and policy experts, recognized the emerging challenges surrounding artificial intelligence and the need for practical, cross-disciplinary solutions. In an exclusive interview with VentureBeat, Bhargava explained, “We decided to focus entirely on governance and be an independent third party because many companies claim to understand ethics and responsible AI, but they govern and market their own AI, which creates biases.”
This approach led to NuEnergy’s extensive research and the development of the MTI system. The new patent, titled ‘Methods and Systems for the Measurement of Relative Trustworthiness for Technology Enhanced with AI Learning Algorithms,’ aligns with Bhargava’s mission to “communicate to non-technical individuals the necessary guardrails for AI.”
Bhargava further explained, “We want to measure the trustworthiness of an AI algorithm transparently and in an auditable manner.” Hence, the creation of an “intricate analysis that provides a simple zero to 100 score,” which Bhargava believes “enables comprehension among both technical and non-technical stakeholders.”
MTI: Ensuring Trustworthy AI in Enterprise Settings
The MTI framework is specifically designed to keep enterprise leadership informed of the trustworthiness of their company’s AI tools. Bhargava emphasized the importance of governance at the board level, stating, “MTI assesses various parameters of AI models and applications, including privacy, fairness, bias, security, and more.”
What sets MTI apart is its flexibility to accommodate case-specific parameters for unique industries such as healthcare, transportation, and government agencies. This ensures that MTI provides relevant and actionable insights for each industry and the companies within it.
NuEnergy has also established methods for indirect evaluation, particularly in dealing with embedded and opaque “black box” AI models. Bhargava explained that they spend as much time developing methodologies for black boxes as they do for white boxes. The MTI methodology allows for abstracted measurement and addresses issues like bias, privacy, and transparency, even when direct examination of an AI system is not possible due to its inscrutability.
“We have methodologies for measuring inputs and outputs of models that you may not have access to the training data of. We essentially generate test data to get to the machine trust index,” Bhargava said. Additionally, NuEnergy integrates measures to monitor model drift over time and ensure conformity to standards such as Canada’s Algorithmic Impact Assessment.
Ethical and Inclusive AI Development
As autonomous systems continue to infiltrate every aspect of modern life, NuEnergy’s groundbreaking work in AI governance establishes an invaluable paradigm for ethical and inclusive development. By providing a standardized measurement for AI oversight, the Machine Trust Index methodology enables organizations to ensure the trustworthy and responsible use of AI technologies.
