TITLE: Is AI evil? AUTHOR: Eddie S. Jackson, MrNetTek DATE: May 15, 2020 at 6:26 AM EST RESEARCH: Google search, current news, books, Copilot. EDITING: Grammarly
AI, or artificial intelligence, is the ability of software, hardware, or computer-controlled robotics to perform tasks commonly associated with humans, such as reasoning, learning, and problem-solving. AI has many applications and subfields, such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, speech recognition, and robotics.
AI has great potential to improve human lives and society in numerous ways, such as enhancing productivity, efficiency, innovation, and creativity in various domains such as education, health care, entertainment, and business. AI can also help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as climate change, poverty, and disease (this is already happening. Google AI and climate change; link).
However, AI also poses significant ethical challenges and risks that need to be addressed and regulated. Some of the ethical issues that arise from AI are:
Privacy and Surveillance: AI can collect, process, and analyze large amounts of personal and sensitive data from various sources, such as online platforms, social media, sensors, cameras, and biometrics. This can enable commercial applications such as personalized services, recommendations, and advertisements. However, it can also enable harmful applications, such as identity theft, fraud, cyberattacks, manipulation, and exploitation. Moreover, AI can enable mass surveillance by governments or corporations that can infringe on human rights and civil liberties.
Bias and Discrimination: AI can inherit or amplify human biases and prejudices that exist in the data or the algorithms that are used to train or design it (emphasis on amplification). This can result in unfair or discriminatory outcomes or decisions that affect individuals or groups based on their characteristics such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation. For example, AI can be biased in hiring, lending, policing, health care, education, and criminal justice. Now, let us be honest. Humans have been doing this forever, but with AI, there will be far less oversight, and the effects could potentially be exponential.
Human Judgment: AI can challenge the role and value of human judgment in various domains and contexts. For instance, AI can influence or replace human decision-making in areas such as medicine, law, education, politics, and warfare (which is already happening, to a lesser degree). This can raise questions about the accountability, responsibility, and understanding of AI systems and their outcomes and actions. It can also raise questions about the autonomy, dignity, and agency of humans who interact with or are affected by AI systems (you can already see these questions being asked, and even rising fear and concern).
Therefore, the question of whether AI is evil is not a simple yes or no. It depends on how AI is developed, used, and governed by humans. AI can be a force for good, or AI can be a force for evil (like many technologies, AI technology is neutral). It depends on the intentions and values of its creators and users. AI can also have unintended or unforeseen consequences that may be beneficial or harmful for humans and society. Does all of this sound fuzzy? That is because it is.
Hence, all stakeholders involved in AI need to adopt ethical principles and practices that ensure that AI is aligned with human values and goals. It is also critical for society to educate itself about the benefits and risks of AI and to engage in informed and responsible decision-making regarding its development and deployment.
One thing I will say, is sentient, killer AI is not coming (not anytime soon). AI will always lead back to a human. If AI is misused or abused, the bad actor will not be able to hide behind AI to escape the law. So, is AI evil? Most definitely not.
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Tags: Artificial Intelligence, MrNetTek, Eddie Jackson Computer, AI
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