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IMG_4731.JPG Caroline Nevejan

Case study: Responsible Artificial Intelligence

RI 2016: Section 7.4.1

 In this section we will explore Responsible Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help us in many ways: it can perform hard, dangerous or boring work for us; can help us to save lives and cope with disasters; can entertain us; and make our daily life more comfortable. 

Even though much of the recent upheaval in the international media about AI has to do with challenges and fears concerning control over autonomous systems, it is the role of AI in future, truly hybrid societies, or socio-cognitive-technical systems, that will be the real game changer. The real potential of AI includes not only the development of intelligent machines and learning robots, but also how these systems influence our social and even biological habits, leading to new forms of organization, perception and interaction. In other words, AI will extend and therefore change our minds.

As advances in AI occur at high speed, there is an increasing awareness that the discussion on responsible AI cannot be left behind. Can machines make moral decisions? Should artificial systems ever be treated as ethical entities? What are the legal and ethical consequences of human enhancement technologies, or cyber-genetic technologies? What are the consequences of extended government, corporate, and other organisational access to knowledge and predictions concerning citizen behaviour? In other words, how can moral, societal and legal values be part of the design process? 

The progress in AI research makes it timely to focus research not only on making AI more capable, but also on maximizing the societal benefit of AI.

A consortium of scientists and inventors have drafted an open letter on research priorities for artificial intelligence (AI). The list of research priorities can be found here: among the stated goals are maximising the benefits from AI while minimising pitfalls that could endanger humans and even humanity.

Below we will have a number of further readings on this topic (for reading at your leisure). But please reflect in advance on the following four statements  and give your opinion in the poll below:

 Vision:

  1. Artificial intelligence will surpass humans in general intelligence.
  2. In the near future robots will be able of self-reproduction (cf.http://weburbanist.com/2016/04/06/birth-of-ai-robots-reproducing-in-a-car-factory-spell-doom/, and G Eiben work (VU): http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v521/n7553/full/nature14544.html)

Normative issues

  1. We should ban autonomous weapons (‘killer robots’). [Open letter: http://futureoflife.org/open-letter-autonomous-weapons].
  2. We should develop companion robots for elderly to relieve feelings of loneliness and isolation. [http://2machines.com/185217/]

 

We have selected the following readings (challenges, problems and positive applications) about responsible AI: