Will a Lack of Ethics Doom Artificial Intelligence?

If there was ever a time that ethics should be formally applied to technology, it is with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. Yet most of the big AI companies struggle with what should seem a simple task: defining ethics for the use of their products. Without the underpinnings of a moral backbone, powerful tools often become a caustic capability for abuse. AI technology leaders must establish the guard-rails before chaos ensues.

As the great strategist Sun Tzu professed “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small”. It is a tough challenge to find the right ethical balance when it comes to the complexity of Artificial Intelligence. Even more difficult is establishing a reasonable governance and sticking with it. However, as AI gains in power with vast amounts of data, it will impact almost every aspect of our lives, from healthcare, finance, employment, and politics. The benefits will solidify a deep entrenchment of AI systems in our digital ecosystem. Establishing parameters now is challenging, but it will be far more difficult to avoid catastrophe later if we populate the world with AI systems that can be misused.

AI for Everyone

AI/Ethics is crucial for the long-term security, privacy, and safety of those who are intertwined with the digital world…