Answers to Questions about AI Ethics

I recently participated in a webinar about AI Ethics conducted by Orenda Junior Enterprise. Here are some answers to questions about AI Ethics.

1. How do you define AI ethics?

Answer: AI Ethics is the responsible and trustworthy design, development, implementation and use of AI systems including the data used to train the AI systems and the knowledge produced by them.

– AI ethics refers to the moral principles and guidelines that govern the development and use of artificial intelligence systems. This includes issues such as fairness, accountability, transparency, explainability, privacy, and non-discrimination. The goal of AI ethics is to ensure that AI systems are developed and used in ways that are safe, reliable, and aligned with human values and societal goals.

2. Can you give an example of a real-world situation where AI was used ethically and unethically?

Answer: Scylla a physical threat detection software company has and follows an ethical policy on how their systems are used and Scylla consistently test their system for bias and ethical data. An example where AI can be misused or used unethically is Zoom’s “Read,” a sentient analysis tool for Zoom meetings. Sentiment analysis is subjective and this opens the door to bias judgements and unethical use of the data being gathered by the  app.

3. In your opinion, what are some of the most pressing ethical challenges that need to be addressed in the development and deployment of AI?

Answers (here are my top 5):

• Bias and discrimination: AI systems can perpetuate and even amplify societal biases, leading to unfair treatment of certain groups of people.
• Job displacement: As AI systems become more advanced and capable, they may begin to replace human workers, which could lead to widespread job loss and economic disruption.
• Privacy and security: AI systems can collect and process large amounts of personal data, raising concerns about how this data is used, stored, and protected.
• Explainability and transparency: As AI systems become more complex it can be difficult to understand how they make decisions, which could lead to mistrust and a lack of accountability.
• Social responsibility and governance: As AI is becoming more pervasive, there is a need to establish ethical guidelines and regulations to ensure that the technology is developed and used in a responsible way.

4. How do you think we can ensure that AI systems are developed and used in a way that promotes equality and fairness for all members of society?

Answers:

• Start with ensuring the models are trained with ethical data that adhere to data privacy and security standards/laws.
• Establish a Diverse AI Product development team:
  • Through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and knowledge reuse it is important to leverage different points of view, different experiences, and different cultural backgrounds to stimulate innovation and to eliminate (or limit) bias. This DE&I championed action leads to innovation. This innovation will enable organizations to deliver unique and or improved AI products.
• Establish a Diverse Team in the design, development, and implementation of AI applications.
  • A diverse team will bring a “diversity of thought” to the initiative and especially during the selection and cleansing of data to assist in removing bias from AI applications that use Machine Learning.

5. How do you think AI can be used to promote social good, such as reducing poverty and inequality?

Answer:

AI can be used to promote social good and reduce poverty and inequality in a number of ways, including (here are my top 5):

• Healthcare: AI can be used to improve healthcare access and outcomes, particularly in under-served communities. For example, AI-powered diagnostics and telemedicine can help to bring medical services to remote or low-income areas, and AI-powered decision support tools can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery.
• Education: AI can be used to improve the quality and accessibility of education, particularly for disadvantaged students. For example, AI-powered tutoring systems can provide personalized instruction to students, and AI-powered language translation tools can help to break down language barriers. However, it must be noted that access to computers and internet is needed, and this is an ongoing issue of the digital divide in minority and underserved communities.
• Economic development: AI can be used to promote economic development, particularly in low-income areas. For example, AI-powered analytics can be used to identify new business opportunities and to improve the efficiency of supply chains, and AI-powered automation can be used to increase productivity and reduce labor costs.
• Environmental protection: AI can be used to monitor and protect the environment, particularly in low-income areas that are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation. For example, AI-powered image recognition can be used to monitor deforestation and illegal fishing, and AI-powered predictive modeling can be used to forecast and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.
• Social services: AI can be used to improve the delivery of social services, particularly for disadvantaged communities. For example, AI-powered chatbots can be used to provide information and assistance to people in need, and AI-powered decision support systems can be used to improve the efficiency and fairness of benefit programs.

6. What is your opinion on art-generating AI? Should it be considered as art?

Answer: AI generating art is still creative, however art in my opinion takes on the emotional and personal expression of the artist. At this time AI is not able to express emotions and personal experience that will be translated into art. (This is more philosophical, interested on what others think here!)

7. What role should governments and international organizations play in regulating the development and use of AI? Through developing AI ethical and governance standards

Answer: The question however will be which AI standard to adopt and/or align to? There are several to consider including the AI Bill of Rights, International Standard for AI developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United States Artificial Intelligence Institute (USAII), and U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) AI Standards for Federal Engagement, just to name a few!.

These seven (7) questions are just a few we should be considering when implementing and using AI solutions. I’m sure many of you can think of much more. Please feel free to respond to the questions here and list more you would like answers to (or provide them yourself). I will post your input on a subsequent blog post on “Answers to AI Ethics questions”!