Why are ethics important in AI?
Sponsored Content by Julia Warrander and Russell Waite, of Affinity Private Wealth, reply:
AS humans, each of us has what is commonly referred to as a moral compass – something we rely upon to tell us right from wrong. Our brain tells us something is amiss when we see or sense an injustice. The actions that come from this are up to us.
But where does this morality come from?
Evolution has played an important role. In the same way that it has shaped our bodies to stand upright and given us opposable thumbs, it has also formed our minds.
Through time, we have become smarter, we use languages to communicate and we have a versatile set of psychological and social tools to help us live and co-operate.
We have also evolved a capacity to feel empathy for others; to want to punish wrongdoers and to create and follow behavioural rules, set by the communities and countries in which we live.
Taking this one step further, ethics are the moral principles governing behaviour. In the case of individuals, these morals are partly a result of evolution, but also strongly depend on our upbringing.
Why should we consider ethics when we think about AI?
Whether AI is being deployed to improve manufacturing processes, drive a car, conduct research or target advertising, systems are becoming more capable, our world increasingly efficient and prosperity overall is set to rise.
This sounds great but with this technological leap comes ethical issues we need to consider.
For example, if the machines do all the work, how do we create alternative meaning to our lives?
Moreover, how should we equitably distribute the wealth created by the machines between us?
Additionally, software is written by humans; how do we manage conscious and unconscious biases reflected in the coding?
After all, none of us has the same moral compass; we are each a unique product of both nature and nurture.
Behavioural rules across AI and the metaverse we are heading into, are set to be hugely complex and need to be regulated.
Let’s start by remembering: ‘There is no spoon.’
