AI ethical considerations
In previous blog discussions, I have covered how AI can be
used to benefit society and how AI can benefit instructional design
professionals. While there are several
advantages to using AI to improve people’s lives, it is imperative that time is
taken to consider the negative impact that the use of AI can have on
society. I briefly touched on some
negative aspects of incorporating AI in our daily lives in previous blogs but,
in this post, my aim is to have a more in depth discussion with my blog readers
into a few ethical issues that society should consider when introducing AI.
I am not sure how many of you watched “The Social Dillema.”
I had a chance to watch it and I can say the urge to discuss privacy concerns
and ethical considerations on this blog was strong following the conclusion of
this film. I strongly recommend you
watch it if you have not done so already.
In my opinion, the issues discussed in this documentary should be of
grave concern to all of us. As far as the
use of AI, my biggest issue is how companies are collecting and distributing
data and using AI to analyze information to target consumers by tracking their
habits. I believe there needs to be legislation
introduced that prohibits this practice without consumer consent. The problem is most of the time people are
giving permission without even realizing it by selecting agree when they use an
application or request access to a website.
In my opinion, the law should obligate companies or organizations to alert
users when their data is being shared and identify how it is being used. At that point, it can allow users to opt out
and prevent the sharing and storing of the user’s data from the point of opt
out and beyond. There is no right answer,
but instead of prohibiting the use of AI altogether I think society should
continue to look at how to regulate it. Another
aspect that I see AI being used negatively in society is through promoting false
information.
There is a lot of talk about how disinformation and false narratives
were used to influence the 2016 election in the way of bots (walch, 2019). AI has become so advanced that it can be used
to create real time messages and chats that give the appearance that they are
real. I think we have all come across a message
or video that gives the indication that it is real. Because it is difficult to determine a lot of
the time what is real and what is false, governments and organizations alike
need to take time to consider how they can combat people using AI to spread
disinformation (walch, 2019). I share
the opinion of the article I referenced that can be found at the following
link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2020/12/29/ethical-concerns-of-ai/#24fe34b23a8f I think governments and corporations need to treat
this disinformation as cybersecurity threats and work tirelessly to combat them
(walch, 2019). I feel this is their
social responsibility and failing to do so will continue to have a negative
impact on our society.
Finally, another interesting point that I keep hearing
brought up when discussing ethics in AI is, will machines have rights? As they become more complex and able to
perform more tasks and get closer to mirror humans, will there be written rules
on how these machines are viewed and treated in society? I know, at this point, it is very much a
future concept but one that should be considered and thought of as the
technology continues to advance. How far
will society allow this to go? I know
from reading my readers comments many are ready to halt the emerging technology
of AI right now. I can certainly see all
your points and concerns. That said,
what if we can now slow down the advancements? How will we handle the thought
of machines being able to act and think like humans? How will we respond? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on
these issues.
Walch, K (2019, December) Ethical Concerns of AI. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2020/12/29/ethical-concerns-of-ai/#24fe34b23a8f
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteTechnology (especially AI) is advancing at an alarming rate. I don't see how we can slow down advancement...to much money is involved and deeply embedded in our daily lives. These questions makes me think of the terminator movies (Skynet) and how we rely so much on technology now a days. To be honest if I was King for the day I would pull the plug and take us back to horse drawn buggies. Just being honest.
Technology is scary and the more we use and depend on it...the more control it has over us.
v/r
Andy E.
Andy,
DeleteI certainly understand your concerns. I also agree that technology is so far advanced that it will be impossible to stop now. I am a dinosaurs. I just recently switched from a flip phone to a smartphone, so I share your desire and wishes that we could go back to the good old days when we delivered messages by horse and buggy and did not rely so much on technology to live our lives....thanks for your response.
Anthony
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteGreat information here, I appreciate it. I too long for the days of dropping a quarter in a pay phone or writing a check and sending it with a stamp. Technology has definitely enhanced the convenience of daily life, but I do not yet think the costs of that convenience are very well known or even explored. We tend to take things that enhance our level of convenience at face value without thorough exploring the potential future ramifications. Lastly, I feel that at this point, the AI tentacles are so thoroughly and tightly interwoven into modern life, that it is no longer a matter of convenience, but instead it is simply how life is for the majority. It seems like my kids learn more each day from Siri or Alexa than they do their parents or teachers! Great post Anthony, I appreciate it.
-Donny
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you changed up the perspective. Not everything about technology is great, sometimes you have to take the good with the bad and see which one outweighs the other. Sure AI makes things easier in a perfect world where there are no individuals trying to take advantage of others. The amount of data that is collected on and individual through AI is at times petty scary. Finding ways to properly safeguard this advancement has to be at the forefront.
Walt
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI don’t quite understand the issue about rights for machines when we are still working on basic human rights in all corners of the globe. That being said, I share your concern about data collection and use by private (or public) organizations. I find that most organizations that collect my data do disclose it and some even give me the option to opt out. However, it often comes at the cost of not be able to use a product or service or the product/service being limited in its capacity. In terms of national security, the openness of our society is a both a strength and a weakness. It is a strength as we are agile and adaptable but a weakness in that our adversaries can take advantage of it. I think Google and Amazon would argue that their collection of data and data analytics is used to provide the user with a smooth, desirable experience. My main concern is not that Google or Amazon uses my data but that it is sold without my consent or stolen in a cyberattack. I personally would be good with not allowing corporations to sell it and having cyber security infrastructure and maintenance requirements that are regulated and inspected.
Mike W.
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent blog that is filled with great information on the ethical decisions as we moved forward with AI in society. I also watched the “social dilemma” and it was very eye opening to say the least. The advancement of technology when it comes to rates and capabilities is quite scary. The complexity of machines grows at an alarming rate and I cannot even imagine what it will look like in another 15 years. I do think we need to ensure there are some things we do to slow down capabilities. For starters regulations need to be established on big technology companies to ensure the capabilities are moral and ethical. We need to establish regulations on how far we let technology develop. We need to ensure we stay the dominant race with the world and not allow for the ability to let machines control too many aspects of daily routines. In my opinion, the key to this is tough stringent regulations with severe consequences for those companies who attempt to violate the established rules and regulations. Have a great day!
-Kev
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI watched the show too, and it is scary to see what they are doing. However, I have a couple counter points. One is that it is free to use, you don't pay for it so you don't have a say in how it is operated. You can opt not to use the platform if you disagree with it. You work in the legal field so you know better than anyone if its free you are at the mercy of the person offering the service to you. The second, point is one the guy with the tredlocks made. Companies like Facebook are not selling the data they collect. They keep it and advertise to various company's that with the data they have collected they can more accurately pin point their costumers. This in its self is not ethical but not illegal. But I can see your point. Who's to say one day they decide to sell the information, or turn it over to the government for tracking purposes. Without any legislation to say what they can and cannot do with the information they have collected we are at their mercy.