The voices cautioning against the possible risks of artificial intelligence are becoming more and more prominent as AI becomes more advanced and pervasive.
"We need to worry now about how we prevent that from happening," stated Geoffrey Hinton, who is regarded as the "Godfather of AI" for his groundbreaking work on machine learning and neural network algorithms. "These things could get more intelligent than us and could decide to take over." Hinton announced in 2023 that he was quitting his job at Google to "talk about the dangers of AI," adding that he even regrets the work he has dedicated his life to.
The well-known computer scientist is not the only one who has worries.
In a 2023 open letter, elon musk , the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, pleaded with more than a thousand other tech titans to halt large-scale AI experiments, pointing out that the technology can "pose profound risks to society and humanity."
Unease is prevalent on many fronts, including the growing automation of some jobs, racially and gender-biased algorithms, and autonomous weapons that function without human supervision. And our understanding of AI's true potential is still very limited.
It is even more important to comprehend the possible drawbacks of AI in light of the ongoing questions about who is developing it and for what purposes. Here, we examine the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence in more detail.
1. A Lack of Explainability and Transparency in AI
Even for those who work directly with the technology, understanding AI and deep learning models can be challenging. Because of this, it becomes difficult to understand what data AI algorithms use or why they might make risky or biased decisions. As a result, there is a lack of transparency regarding how and why AI draws its conclusions. Explainable AI has become popular as a result of these worries, but transparent AI systems are still a ways off from becoming standard.
2. AI-BASED SOCIAL SURVEILLANCE technologies
Apart from the existential risk it poses, Ford is particularly concerned about the negative impact AI will have on security and privacy. China's use of facial recognition technology in workplaces, educational institutions, and other settings is a prime example. The Chinese government might be able to obtain enough information to keep tabs on someone's activities, relationships, and political opinions in addition to tracking their whereabouts.
The use of predictive policing algorithms by US police agencies to predict crime hotspots is another example. The issue is that arrest rates, which disproportionately affect Black communities, have an impact on these algorithms. Following this, police forces intensify their efforts to target these communities, raising concerns about over-policing and the ability of self-declared democracies to prevent AI from becoming an instrument of authoritarianism.
According to Ford, "authoritarian regimes use it or will use it." "The question is, to what extent does it infiltrate democracies and Western nations, and what restrictions do we impose on it?"
3. BIASES CAUSED BY AI
Different types of AI bias are also harmful. Olga Russakovsky, a professor of computer science at Princeton University, told the New York Times that bias in AI extends far beyond issues of race and gender. Apart from data and algorithmic bias (which has the potential to "amplify" the former), artificial intelligence is created by humans, and humans are biased by nature.
According to Russakovsky, "Most A.I. researchers are men, from specific racial demographics, who grew up in high socioeconomic areas, and who are primarily people without disabilities." "Because of our population's relative homogeneity, it can be difficult to think globally."
The narrow experience base of AI developers may help to explain why certain dialects and accents are difficult for speech recognition AI to understand, or why businesses overlook the potential repercussions of a chatbot posing as well-known historical figures. More caution should be taken by businesses and developers to prevent the replication of strong biases and prejudices that endanger minority populations.
4. DATA PRIVACY VIOLATION USING AI TOOLS
Your data is being collected if you've experimented with AI chatbots or AI face filters online, but where is it going and how is it being used? To personalize user experiences or to aid in training the AI models you're using, AI systems frequently gather personal data (especially if the AI tool is free). Given that one ChatGPT bug incident in 2023 "allowed some users to see titles from another active user's chat history," data provided to an AI system may not even be deemed secure from other users.
While certain states in the US have laws protecting personal information, there isn't a specific federal law shielding citizens from the harm AI causes to their data privacy.
5. AI-RESULTED SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES
Businesses may jeopardize their DEI initiatives through AI-powered recruiting if they fail to recognize the innate biases ingrained in AI algorithms. AI's ability to measure a candidate's traits through voice and facial analyses is still tainted by racial biases, perpetuating the very discriminatory hiring practices that companies claim to be doing away with.
Another reason to be concerned is the growing socioeconomic inequality brought about by AI-driven job losses, which exposes the class biases inherent in AI applications. Due to automation, wages for blue-collar workers who perform more repetitive, manual labor have decreased by up to 70%. White-collar workers, on the other hand, have largely escaped this, and some have even benefited from higher wages.
Broad assertions that AI has somehow broken down social barriers or produced more jobs fall short of providing a full picture of its impacts. It is imperative to consider disparities based on racial, socioeconomic, and other categories. If not, it becomes more challenging to determine how automation and artificial intelligence benefit some people and groups at the expense of others.
Conclusion:-
Even though AI has a lot of potential advantages, its integration must be approached carefully. Ignoring or exercising caution when it comes to some aspects of AI can help prevent unforeseen consequences, moral conundrums, and societal issues. Maintaining human-centric values while welcoming innovation must coexist in harmony for AI to be a tool for advancement rather than a cause of unintentional harm. To ensure that artificial intelligence develops responsibly and benefits society in the future, we must remain vigilant, take ethical issues seriously, and remain committed to this goal.
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