Why everyone should learn about ethics in AI [opinion]

Unsurprisingly, there is growing concern about ethics in artificial intelligence and machine learning, with AI currently used by millions daily. Users need to know the ethical concerns with AI. I use AI most of the time now and would like to give my opinion on the issue.

AI ethics is an emerging field of researchers studying the ethics of AI. As a developer, I believe everyone working with AI should be educated on ethics.

Bias

It is no surprise that bias is the main challenge of AI. It is very easy to program bias into a machine. It happens and others can be unaware they included bias in the model. There are ways to reduce bias and this is discussed often.

Companies should be transparent and address how they use bias in their day-to-day operations. Various types of bias are causing concern for the future. For example, law enforcement using facial recognition to record criminal activity has been a heated discussion with advocacy groups voicing concern that it is discriminatory. Bias in AI will bring more issues than the ones it will fix if not addressed.

Misinformation

Deepfakes are naturally on the rise and known to spread misinformation. From fake audio, images, and videos, it is getting harder to spot what is real and fake. Individuals must take extra steps to verify information on the internet. Social media platforms are implementing fact-checks to verify information to reduce misinformation. The verification process is necessary when viewing information in the present day.

Security

While OpenAI prohibits users from using ChatGPT to create malicious scripts or anything else related to criminal activity it does not deter criminals from using other AI tools to lure victims.

Companies also run the risk of having proprietary software being compromised by attackers. Sensitive data can be stolen and sold to the highest bidder. Companies are weighing the options of AI and how to implement it in the organization without releasing classified information.

Future of Learning

There has been concern about AI being used in education. With the issue of plagiarism and student using it to complete their coursework. I believe that AI can be a useful tool to assist in learning. However, there are times when the AI is incorrect and students using it as a crutch can be detrimental to learning.

Educators should teach students the ethics of AI and develop more engaging coursework. While I have many criticisms against the public school system, I would like to encourage educators to learn about AI and understand its ethical implications.

What's next?

There are many topics to unpack and I will discuss them in the future in more detail. I wanted to start with this article to share my views on the current situation regarding AI.