Artificial Intelligence is relentlessly improving our lives. From accurate diagnosis of diseases to intelligent content creation, AI has revolutionised several facets of human life. However, the ethical consideration of AI has always been critical due to its potential to have profound impacts on society, both positive and negative.
Why is the Ethical Evaluation of AI Necessary?
Evaluating AI through an ethical lens is crucial as AI technologies intensely impact individuals, organisations, and society. By addressing the ethical concerns regarding AI, developers, policymakers and users can harness AI’s potential while safeguarding societal values and preventing the negative consequences. Ethics provides a framework to make decisions aligned with moral principles and promotes organisation accountability.
“Artificial Intelligence, if not properly harnessed, could be a threat to humanity”
-Stephen Hawking
Ethical Dilemmas Related to AI
1. AI Surveillance: Enhances Security or Creates a Panopticon
By analysing several incidents from the past we can say that AI surveillance is a tried and tested security system during emergencies, as it is exceptionally effective in detecting suspicious objects at airports or identifying patterns of cyber-attacks. AI-powered surveillance systems can detect criminal activities, monitor public spaces, and identify real-time threats. For instance, Agencies use facial recognition technology to identify suspects in large crowds during events, aiding law enforcement. However, this was only one side of the coin. AI surveillance systems collect and analyse huge amounts of personal data, often without permission. For example, the Cambridge Analytica Scandal exposed how Facebook allowed third-party apps to harvest the personal data of millions of users, which was then used to influence elections.
2. Automation and Its Human Coast
The rapid pace at which AI is transforming industries and increasing the efficiency and productivity of businesses by automating tasks is absolutely flabbergasting. However, high-income individuals usually get the maximum benefit from AI machinery with enhanced efficiency and increased productivity gains, while the low-income population bears the brunt of job losses. AI-powered robots like those used by Amazon and Alibaba to have automated picking, packing, sorting, and inventory management displace warehouse workers who previously performed these tasks. Many companies have integrated AI chatbots and virtual assistants into their customer service platforms to handle inquiries or complaints, reducing the need for call center employees. And due to a lack of educational background for transition into AI-driven or emerging fields the displaced workers face financial and social hardships.
3. AI Bias: The Unseen Prejudice
The key to training an AI system is high-quality data and effective algorithms. These data can be sourced from existing social structures, historical records, and human behaviors. The AI models process this data to identify the patterns and make decisions, predictions, and classifications based on that data. These data sets can contain implicit biases, reflecting the prejudices and stereotypes present in society. When AI systems learn from these biased data sets, they can perpetuate or amplify existing inequalities. A biased AI system can erode trust in institutions, like law enforcement, healthcare, and education. For example, in 2018, Amazon scrapped its AI-powered recruitment tool after discovering it to be biased against women. The tool had been trained on data from the company’s past hiring practices, which had favored men over women.
4. Autonomous Weapons: An Ethical Quagmire
The development of AI-powered autonomous weapons comes with a stark choice: a future of increased security and efficiency, or one fraught with danger and uncertainty. These weapons systems can select and engage targets. Moreover, they promise increased precision and reduced collateral damage. At the same time, autonomous weapons systems remove humans from the process of decision-making which can potentially lead to unintended consequences. A malfunction or a misinterpretation of a target may be fatal.
The Path Foreward
The rapid advancement of AI has opened up a Pandora’s Box of ethical dilemmas. To ensure that AI serves humanity, not threaten it, we need to step back and ruminate about the moral implications of AI and advocate for responsible development. For navigating the challenges associated with AI, it is necessary to establish clear ethical guidelines for AI development. Initiatives like the European Commission’s “Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI” provide valuable benchmarks.
Traveling over the ethical dimension of AI is not a journey with a clear endpoint but an ongoing exploration. Regular assessments of AI systems ensure they adapt to evolving societal norms and values.
Image Credit: https://ideogram.ai/
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