Autistic AI Safety Framework & AGI Confidant

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Expert Rating 3.8
Kenneth Mayfield
Project Owner

Autistic AI Safety Framework & AGI Confidant

Expert Rating

3.8
  • Proposal for BGI Nexus 1
  • Funding Request $50,000 USD
  • Funding Pools Beneficial AI Solutions
  • Total 9 Milestones

Overview

Autistic adults face dire odds in even the best of times, and these are not the best of times. Our neurodivergent community has 84% under & unemployment, 9x higher risk of suicidal ideation, and 5x greater risk of abusive relationships. We live shorter lives. 11% of autistic adults also identify as LGBTQ2+, now a politically targeted group in USA. We propose creating a new framework of autistic-safe ethics & data protections for AI/AGI development created for us, by us, then implement our framework in the training of a neuro-symbolic autistic support prototype model.

Proposal Description

How Our Project Will Contribute To The Growth Of The Decentralized AI Platform

As AI influences more of our professional & personal lives, often in subtle ways, we need to ensure these tools help, not harm, our neurodivergent community. Our proposal seeks to redress sobering systemic bias, create new standards, and make a place for autistic neurodivergent people in the future of AGI. With BGI's support, we can define new insights & improved standards that will beneficially impact at individual & community levels, and be applicable to other technologies and media worldwide.

Our Team

Kenn Mayfield - A.I. PM & XR designer. Autistic. Advocate for autistic employment & equity
https://xyris.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/xyriskenn/

Warren Parker-Mills
Fashion (IRL) & Digital Consultant | Advisory Board Member of Metaverse Fashion Council | Anthropist 2024
https://www.linkedin.com/in/warren-parker-mills/


Oleksii Kondratiuk
CEO @ Base Blocks Tech Saas & Mobile App development
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleksii-kondratiuk/

C. W. 
Computational Neuroscientist, ML, awaiting reply

AI services (New or Existing)

Autistic Skills Profile Builder

Type

New AI service

Purpose

We will begin experimental development of a dataset to train neurodivergent AI & AGI models eventually developing a beneficial intelligence capable of communicating empathically with autistic users. Imperative is privacy and ethical use. We’ll collect only text descriptions short intentional motion of the input device with permission & use icons describing mood. Demographic data (gender country language) will be requested not required. No personally identifiable information will be collected.

AI inputs

1. Anonymized profiles 2. Anonymized behavioral data with user permission 3. User feedback VIA text or voice 4. Environmental and situational contextual information. To work ethically we will follow strict protocols per Canadian & EU privacy laws.

AI outputs

Confirmation of anonymized data received or suitable error message.

Company Name (if applicable)

Xyris XR

The core problem we are aiming to solve

Autistic minds handle personal experiences differently than neurotypical (NT) minds. An offhand comment to an NT listener might be taken seriously by an autistic mind. Environmental factors & work stresses can be difficult for an autistic person to filter out, leading to a state of autistic overwhelm that is difficult for untrained friends or colleagues to understand. 
Social risks are common too. Friendliness can be misinterpreted as friendship by autistic people, opening a path to abuse, manipulation & extreme risk.

LLMs trained on NT sources present similar problems for autistic users of these technologies, as do NLP algorithms which may misinterpret autistic emotional cues.

Our specific solution to this problem

We must work in a truly paradoxical situation: 

  • Beneficial AI for agents, job matching & mental health supports should be aware of our 'spiky' ND ability profiles, but current tech generally expects NT "smooth" profiles 

  • Model training needs personal data, but autistic people who've often experienced harm are more skeptical of data use; sharing of personal information feels riskier. 

  • Neurodivergent datasets don't exist, but are needed to train models in our own image.

    How do we design our AGI future from “whole cloth” with strong ethical protections & privacy, yet also build models we need with personal ND data that's required to do the work?

    We wish to advocate for custom standards & design of AI & AGI development that respects & supports us. 

We propose:

  • In-depth ongoing consultation with experts of diverse fields impacting ND health

  • Development of new models representative of autistic needs including self-regulation, communication, and perceptual sensitivities

  • Development & testing of special guardrails our neurotype needs for psychological safety when interacting with LLM & NLP outputs

  • Development models expressing compassion in ways autistic minds prefer

  • A neuro-symbolic AGI sensitive to autistic communication styles

  • Secure iOS model training app with innovative data input including non-verbal methods

  • Professional thorough ethics & safety review by independent professionals

We are not open-sourcing at this time in order to generate funds & opportunities for autistic talent. 

Existing resources

  • Previous LOET autistic advocacy: proposal definitions, pitches, business plans and slide shows which have iteratively clarified & affirmed the needs of our mission.
  • 10+ years' iOS app development skill
  • Extensive autistic professionals and advocates network developed over three years.
  • Contacts in security, testing, mental health, and academic practices

Links and references

The League of Extraordinary Talent
https://theloet.com

Bias & Unfairness in ML Models 
https://www.mdpi.com/2504-2289/7/1/15

European Autism Information System Report
https://shorturl.at/hvET9

Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder 
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.htm

The lifetime distribution of the incremental societal costs of autism
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17404130/

Additional videos

Original Pitch video from Deep Funding Round 4 (problem to solve, privacy & ethics, AGI)
https://youtu.be/nsv1Ogbp-VM

LOET AGI (titles on)
https://youtu.be/qJQruUqpBWM

Was there any event, initiative or publication that motivated you to register/submit this proposal?

Online event

Describe the particulars.

I discovered BGI through SingularityNET, and your mission is very encouraging. BGI's focus on ethics aligns with our need in the autistic community for representation and shaping AI/AGI.

Proposal Video

3 minute Autistic AI Safety Framework & AGI Confidant - XyrisKenn

2 April 2025
  • Total Milestones

    9

  • Total Budget

    $50,000 USD

  • Last Updated

    2 Apr 2025

Milestone 1 - Ethical Framework for Autistic-Safe Models

Description

Consultation with academics and professionals active in: - AGI development especially neuro-symbolic reasoning - Neurology professionals with a focus on autistic mental emotional & cognitive development - Therapists with a focus on autistic adults - Political Ethicists specializing in vulnerable communities - Cultural Anthropologists exploring neurodivergence as presenting in diverse communities - Human Rights lawyers with a focus on disability - Autistic artists creators writers teachers scientists lawyers - Security professionals specializing in protection of personal information - Medical research ethics experts

Deliverables

- Text transcriptions of round table conversations - Summarized meeting minutes - Bibliography of recommended references - Initial recommendations for protections of autistic personal information - Autistic personas describing use of stim tools & mobile device use - Innovative non-verbal data entry ideas - Other emergent ideas and innovations we can't predict

Budget

$3,000 USD

Success Criterion

- Actionable insights for ethical development of neurodivergent-safe models and data gathering. - Clear framework for ethical development of project milestones - Innovative surprises and insights

Milestone 2 - Ethics & Safety Review I

Description

Commission a professional ethics and safety review of our proposal & M1 documentation to guide AI/AGI designs and protocols preferred by the neurodivergent community. We will assess a preliminary ethical framework define safety protocols and evaluate how to improve data handling procedures compared to current best practices & privacy regulations in Canada and the EU.

Deliverables

- A comprehensive report outlining strengths potential risks and areas for improvement of protections for autistic privacy & data ownership - A risk assessment document detailing data privacy bias and psychological safety considerations of the neurodivergent community - Recommendations for refining ethical guidelines and safety mechanisms based on professional ethics feedback

Budget

$4,000 USD

Success Criterion

Actionable recommendations from independent ethics and privacy review in favour of autistic and neurodivergent safety

Milestone 3 - Model Patterns of Autistic Coping States

Description

Develop a set of models or graphs representing key autistic coping states across genders and cultures including stressors stimming selective mutism autistic overwhelm shutdown and self-regulation. This milestone involves collaborating with autistic adults psychologists and neuroscientists to define parameters that can inform an AI’s recognition of neurodivergent emotional and cognitive states.

Deliverables

- Documentation outlining common autistic coping states and how they might differ across genders age culture & language - Annotated datasets or prototypes of selected patterns - A technical report on how these patterns could be integrated into a model’s training

Budget

$5,000 USD

Success Criterion

- Demonstrable model or graph designs that reasonably identify and represent autistic coping states - Validation of the accuracy and relevance of coping patterns descriptions

Milestone 4 - Guardrails for Autistic LLM NLP Safe Interactions

Description

Design and develop guardrail systems & test suites aiming to protect autistic users from potential psychological harm when using LLMs NLP algorithms and AI agents. These models should proactively detect triggering or misinterpreted content which autistic adults are typically sensitive to then apply corrective interventions in a compassionate context-aware manner.

Deliverables

- Candidate guardrail designs integrated into a demonstration AI Agent LLM / NLP agent - Scenarios reports of guardrails’ effectiveness & areas to improve - Operational guidelines of these models

Budget

$6,000 USD

Success Criterion

- Guardrails recognize & mitigate harmful and misleading LLM outputs 35% of the time - Feedback from test sessions with autistic participants about the agent behaviour

Milestone 5 - Compassionate Model for Autistic Communication

Description

Develop an AI model that focuses on generating compassionate and context-sensitive text communication suitable for autistic adults. The model should be fine-tuned to reflect autistic communication styles prioritizing clarity empathy and an avoidance of neurotypical biases in emotional tone ambiguity and use of colloquial phrases.

Deliverables

- A set of conversational prompts designed specifically for autistic communication - Reports from test sessions describing level or quality of compassionate interactions - Feedback from community experts and autistic users assessing model outputs and context

Budget

$8,000 USD

Success Criterion

- User feedback suggesting reduced incidences of misinterpretation and confusion or emotional distress and / improved clarity of communication - Empirical data evaluating how often the model generates contextually appropriate and supportive responses for an autistic user

Milestone 6 - IOS app designed for secure safe model training

Description

Develop an on-device secure iOS application that empowers autistic adults to safely contribute to the training data. The app must prioritize privacy anonymity user ownership of data and usability offering options for non-verbal inputs and accessibility principles that accommodate diverse communication & mobility needs. Evaluation of the app security and stress testing by a professional security expert.

Deliverables

- A working prototype of the iOS app with on-device secure data capture protocols - Documentation of the app’s security features and privacy measures - User testing surveys of app usage - Report from independent expert security testing

Budget

$6,000 USD

Success Criterion

- The app is validated through user testing by autistic individuals, aiming for 55% positive feedback on usability and security - Compliance with best practices in data privacy and ethical data collection confirmed through external security testing

Milestone 7 - Neuro-symbolic model development

Description

Integrate ethical guidelines and previously defined model patterns into a neuro-symbolic framework that blends data-driven learning with symbolic reasoning. This model & its knowledge graphs will serve as the backbone for creating future AI that supports autistic profiles & aligns with the established ethical mandates.

Deliverables

- A functional prototype of the neuro-symbolic model - Documentation detailing how ethical safety and communication guidelines are incorporated into the model - Performance benchmarks and test case reports demonstrating the model’s behavior in various scenarios

Budget

$10,000 USD

Success Criterion

Evaluations from technical experts and autistic community advisors regarding the model’s accommodation of autistic users' needs

Milestone 8 - Ethics & Safety Review II

Description

Commission a comprehensive post-development ethics and safety review of the project deliverables ensuring that all elements - from data handling to user inputs to model outputs - are in strict alignment with the established ethical & privacy standards. This review is essential before further development or deployment.

Deliverables

- A final audit report from independent ethical and safety review - Detailed documentation of risk mitigation measures and any additional recommendations - A summary of changes planned in response to the review findings

Budget

$5,000 USD

Success Criterion

- Actionable, detailed audit of compliance with ethical, safety, and privacy standards - Recommendations for items needing improvement

Milestone 9 - Updates, Conclusions, Legal Review

Description

Compile the project’s journey into a comprehensive final report outlining findings, feedback and improvements. This report will detail the ethical technical & community-driven achievements of the project and provide a roadmap for future developments with policy recommendations. A framework for AI / AGI ethical compassionate and privacy considerations for autistic users will be described.

Deliverables

- Final project report summarizing milestones, observations, and recommendations - A detailed roadmap for scaling the project and encouraging ongoing community engagement

Budget

$3,000 USD

Success Criterion

Clearly documented insights and recommendations setting the stage for an inclusive, ethical, autistic-considerate AI/AGI development framework.

Join the Discussion (7)

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7 Comments
  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Apr 3, 2025 | 6:01 AM

    Full slideshow pitch (plus historical video from 2024's round for context): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRqGTXxc2O-3MZ4xHQpep6dUWP0W4V3fsBe4j4GwP0RHJU0XNHBgor_ZrNLrho8G2p24ZSSkqPdYN6g/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=5000

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Apr 3, 2025 | 5:54 AM

    Regarding scalability, team ML expert Kimani Kibuthu is a professional coder and mentor. I'm completely confident scaleability will be planned during project development. 

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Apr 3, 2025 | 5:52 AM

    Another comment: one reviewer suggests a spreadsheet of costs should be added. This will be created during project development, if awarded. We cannot build a precise spreadsheet ahead of time, especially in the rapid pace of the competiition, because we are building an atypical project; costs will be carefully tracked and spent to make the most of a limited budget. Actual costs depend on the consultants, ethical experts, legal advice and coder time which shall be scoped if our proposal is awarded. Thank you for mentioning this vital component of project development.

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Apr 3, 2025 | 5:46 AM

    Our expert reviewers mentioned concerns about allocations which I'd like to address. Firstly, thank you for the care you brought thinking about my project in detail. I appreciate you've found my proposal eligible to compete. If awarded, percentages work out in this way: 20% to consultation with community, mental health experts, neurobiologists and leaders advocating for austistic equity. Another 20% is dedicated to third-party ethical review (two rounds) and legal review. 52% will go to coding, machine learning, model training and our start to neuro-symbolic programming. I'd like to retain the last 8% to take advantage of gains in ASI/AGIX, to fund continuing work after our project is delivered. Another topic: my Canadian government is focusing on AI as a sector to nourish given the political and economic situation worldwide. If awarded, I can approach CanGov for matching funding and increase the scope and distribution of my project.

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Apr 1, 2025 | 8:39 PM

    Outcomes - during spotlight day, a participant kindly asked about outcomes of my project.Technological and research:1. AI Service on SingularityNET marketplace for autistic AI model training data2. Detailed, professionally reviewed ethics framework for data collection from a vulnerable group - neededAdditionally we hope to:3. Start to fill in data scarcity of how autistic people in understudied cultures, genders, ethnicities and languages experience and navigate a 'neurotypical' world. Only Caucasion males under age of majority have any number of studies of autistic presentation. In 80 years of research, only one study of Black autistic females exists.. Navigating the world as an autistic person is profoundly affected by social context & language.4. Start a prototype AI based on nuero-symbolic programming, trained on our data, that is cognizant of autistic behaviour instead of neurotypical behavior. Eventually this AI/AGI may advise, act as an agent, or simply a kind of sentient journal partner. But, it will be a beginning and we need it.With this start, we hope to build a place for us in the future, where the present is more perilous to us and our instersecting cimmunities than before, and improve our sobering lifespan and employment statistics.

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Mar 19, 2025 | 6:00 AM

    I'm thrilled to comfirm Daniel Englebretson, applied neuro-symbolic AI developer, will join our proposal for the Milestone 7 AGI prototyping. We may also have a colleague of Daniel's joining us.

  • 0
    commentator-avatar
    Kenneth Mayfield
    Mar 6, 2025 | 6:30 PM

    Update: Kimani Kibuthu, Machine Learning and Agentic developer, agrees to joing our new LOET proposal team. Kimani developed our Round 4 beta test round Flood Prediction model and service to 95% accuracy. Kimani works professionally in AI development, is a mentor, and has a degree also in aerospace engineering. We are very fortunate with Kimani joining our team.

Expert Ratings

Reviews & Ratings

Group Expert Rating (Final)

Overall

3.8

  • Impact 3.8
  • Innovation 3.8

The Autistic Skills Profile Builder creates a system designed specifically for autistic people with strong privacy protections and ethical data use. The project develops AI models that can understand and respond well to autistic communication styles, aiming to help improve job opportunities, social connections, and mental health for neurodivergent individuals. The project shows clear ethical standards and privacy protection in specific project milestones, demonstrating that the team has a solid plan. The personalized career guidance feature is seen as especially valuable since autistic people often face major employment challenges. However, some concerns exist about how the project will grow beyond its initial scope, and it lacks clear ways to measure success. A detailed budget breakdown would be helpful to help the community better understand and track the project's financial needs. Overall, this is a promising project whose success will depend on working closely with both autistic people and potential employers.

  • Expert Review 1

    Overall

    0.0

    • Impact 0.0
    • Innovation 0.0

    The Autistic Career Guide is a promising initiative that uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized career support for autistic people, a population that frequently faces significant employment challenges. By tailoring guidance to individual strengths and needs, this project aims to improve job prospects and satisfaction, ultimately fostering positive social impact for a vulnerable community. However, this project can be successful, depending on its effectiveness in executing and collaborating with the autistic community and the employees

  • Expert Review 2

    Overall

    0.0

    • Impact 0.0
    • Innovation 0.0

    The project shows its compliance with ethics and data privacy protection through milestone 2, 8 and 9, which can persuade that these tools bring benefits to the autistic community. By presenting specific solution to the problem, the team shows that they have clear vision and know what to do & where they want to go. However, it will help the community track and evaluate the project easier if the team can attach total estimated cost report or payroll sheet for resources that the project will need to reach its goals, this will also help persuade the community for the budget proposal.

  • Expert Review 3

    Overall

    0.0

    • Impact 0.0
    • Innovation 0.0

    Through the creation of a neurodivergent-friendly system that guarantees ethical data use and privacy protections tailored to the autistic community, the Autistic Skills Profile Builder project addresses a significant need in AI research. The development of neuro-symbolic AI models that understand and sympathize with autistic communication patterns holds promise for improving the social, professional, and mental health outcomes of neurodivergent individuals. However, the proposal's lack of a comprehensive scaling strategy and measurable outcomes may restrict its broader applicability and uptake.

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