TJ Vasquez
Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and for the most part, that’s good news. AI has made completing numerous work-related tasks much easier and far less time consuming. However, just as there are safety and legal responsibilities you have to abide by when driving a car, there are also AI ethics to be aware of when you use these programs.
Keep reading to learn more about artificial intelligence ethics and society’s responsibility to implement safe AI practices.
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
The massive leap that the development of artificial intelligence has taken can simplify numerous aspects of human life. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that AI also has the potential to cause harm, not so much by the intent of the programs themselves, but by human inaction, misunderstanding, and the desire to cut labor costs.
Though AI has been around in some capacity since the 1950s with the introduction of the Turing Test, widespread availability is still new. As such, AI development and usage doesn’t currently have much government oversight, nor does the implementation of AI ethics (at least in the US).
While machine learning functions make everyday life more convenient, it’s important to ask, “at what cost?” As AI becomes more and more mainstream in households and businesses, developing and implementing operational guidelines is a must. Users need to learn about how these programs collect data and evaluate the way AI-generated content is interpreted from the source.
Having a clear set of ethical guidelines to follow helps prevent the spread of misinformation, making critical decisions based on biased content, and the potential for legal issues in the future. These guidelines are referred to as “ethics,” which are drawn and adopted to encourage responsible practices when using AI.
Concerns in AI Ethics
The term “ethics” is defined as the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the way activities are performed.
Because machines aren’t capable of fully understanding human emotions, they’re also not able to effectively understand human behavior or the morals that govern it. With no true understanding of right and wrong, artificial intelligence programs can only do what they’re trained to do.
That means that human users need to be aware of the ethical pitfalls that AI presents so that we can avoid perpetuating these issues when we use AI at work.
Types of AI Ethical Concerns
Plenty of potential ethical issues can arise when experimenting with AI’s capabilities, but here are seven of the most common types of ethical concerns.
- Bias: AI programs can, and sometimes do, generate biased information. It’s incredibly difficult to be truly unbiased in many situations, as artificial intelligence is developed and trained using human-made content.
- Legal: Several legal issues can come up as a result of AI usage. For example, AI programs that aim to enhance court efficiency may very well judge individuals unfairly. In addition, legal issues like fraud, theft, and other proprietary concerns could occur.
- Ownership: Ownership isn’t easy to determine when using AI. Does the content belong to the user who asked for it, or does it belong to the business that owns the program?
- Economic: A common complaint many of us hear is that AI is replacing human workers, which is possibly the most serious concern on the list. When cutting labor costs results in nonexistent livable wage, what outcome will arise?
- Human Safety: When it comes to AI programs that are used in high-stakes scenarios (ex: self-driving cars, medical procedures, legal processes, etc.), a machine’s temporary lapse in judgment could result in injuries or worse.
- Privacy: It’s not unheard of for AI programs to include personal information in the responses they generate. Whether these inclusions lead to privacy breaches or the release of sensitive information, it could be a serious privacy concern.
- Malicious Intent: Human misuse is also a very real threat. For example, individuals using AI programs to write college essays and research projects are not only committing plagiarism, but the end result may be that this person is grossly under qualified to hold the degree or certificate they earned fraudulently.
Examples of Ethical Dilemmas in AI
The possible scenarios that may come to mind when we think about potential AI ethical issues are numerous, but for accuracy’s sake, let’s cover three ethical dilemmas that actually happened.
1- Art Theft or Remastery?
AI Ethics Scenario: Huawei, a Chinese technology brand developed an AI algorithm that completed the final two movements of Schubert’s Symphony No. 8. Before that point, the piece had been incomplete for almost two centuries.
Dilemma: Who do these musical segments belong to? Schubert didn’t ever get the chance to hear them, and who knows whether he’d even like the pieces enough to finish his symphony with them? Does the new, completed symphony now belong to the company whose AI completed it? Is this completion an accomplishment at all, being that a human artist didn’t pour his creativity into it?
2- Economic Devastation or Work Automation?
AI Ethics Scenario: Operating a business is expensive, so it’s understandable (at least for small businesses) to try finding ways to cut costs. AI programs already replace human workers in handling several mundane, repetitive tasks (such as the self-checkout machines at Walmart).
Dilemma: These implementations might lead to increased profits for companies who replace applicable staff members with machines. AI developers have claimed that machines would simplify human life, but in the US (especially) job insecurity may get in the way of that. When too few jobs exist to employ much of society, what will the outcome be?
3- Misinformation or Human Error/Bias?
AI Ethics Scenario: Georgia Tech recently published a research paper on self-driving cars and their object recognition. The paper noted that dark-skinned pedestrians were hit by self-driving vehicles 5% more often than light-skinned pedestrians. The source of the issue came from the training material, which featured over 3x more images of light-skinned people, making AI better able to recognize who/what it’s looking at.
Dilemma: While the occasional AI mistake isn’t always a big deal, issues like this can be life-threatening. Because there is not yet a lot of oversight when it comes to training AI programs, ensuring unbiased, accurate training is a challenge.
Best Practices for AI Ethics
Using AI at home or at work doesn’t have to be taboo, so long as individuals and businesses take the right approach and follow the right guidelines.
First and foremost, there’s no point more important than this one: Artificial intelligence is a tool. It’s the framework of various programs that assist humans in an array of endeavors. Whether that means getting help with content you’re writing, automating tedious parts of your job, or ensuring that your customers have access to support 24/7, AI is supposed to serve as a tool.
AI is not a replacement for human beings any more than a tree is a replacement for an oxygen tank. While a tree certainly produces oxygen, it can’t deliver this life-preserving element to someone in need of oxygen therapy.
There’s a lot that machines can accomplish, but the unique functions and capabilities humans bring to the table is irreplaceable. With this in mind, let’s cover four of the best practices for ethical AI usage.
Be Transparent
If you use artificial intelligence at work, be transparent about it. Have clear, easy-to-read explanations covering which processes you use AI for, how it works, and the guidelines you follow. Informing your customers and clients about how AI helps sustain your business will make them far less wary of machine learning capabilities.
Whatever you do, don’t lie to your audience and claim you don’t use AI to create content if you do. So many companies use AI in today’s market that it’s not obscure anymore.
Reinforce Security
Using AI programs at work (or home) places several responsibilities into your hands, all of which you need to take seriously. Data breaches, collecting sensitive information, and violating both user and non-user privacy poses a significant risk. A machine can’t get into hot water over these issues, but you certainly can.
As such, if you’ve adopted or plan to adopt AI tools into your work, take security seriously. Do everything you can to take appropriate security measures so that you’re not exposing others to potentially dangerous situations.
Take a Human-First Approach
Artificial intelligence is just that, artificial. That’s not to say that “artificial” is a negative thing, because it isn’t. However, when adopting artificial intelligence into your workforce, it’s important to take a human-first approach.
As mentioned, AI is a tool for humans, not something to force into their shoes in an effort to replace them. Cutting labor costs is great, but if those cuts are at the expense of human health, safety, and well-being, they’re not worth the potential spike in profits.
AI and human employees should work in-tandem. For example, at Content Cucumber, we employ a plethora of skilled professional writers, but we also use Juno, our AI program, for strategic planning, pitching content ideas, and more. However, our human writers are the key to Content Cucumber’s success. We’re proud of Juno’s capabilities (try it for yourself, you’ll like it too), but it won’t erase the human community we’ve built.
Verify Content
Fact-check whenever you use artificial intelligence programs. They often present users with accurate information but it’s important to review all the content your program generates before you post it. This way, you can prevent the spread of misinformation, harmful content, and possible embarrassment.
As you can see, artificial intelligence serves as a powerful ally, but when we utilize these tools, we need to keep in mind that our actions have the potential to affect others. As such, businesses and individuals who use AI programs need to ensure that they’re following ethical guidelines.
Stay tuned for more on artificial intelligence and the rapidly developing presence it has in our day-to-day lives. Check back for our monthly AI News Round-Up articles and our upcoming AI guides.
