We can define AI as a system of advanced tools or software that functions on borrowed intelligence. Lately, we have been so dependent on it that we are bound to ponder its implications. Even though its swiftness to do a particular task impresses us, our moral obligations and privacy concerns sometimes make us wonder: Is the use of AI ethical?
The thing with AI is that it doesn't have a brain of its own. It has no contextual awareness, and most importantly, all it knows is through the datasets it has been trained on.
So, the concern here is more than about using AI as a shortcut to get an upper hand at work. It's about understanding whether the views and opinions expressed by a certain tool reveal the presence of bias, if it's programmed to retain your data, and much more.
Understanding AI Ethics: What Does It Mean?
When we think about AI and its ethical bias, we tend to think of the fictional narrative of AI going rogue. We imagine an army of robots coming for our lives. But in real life, things are not that dramatic, but they can cause severe damage if not checked. Our real concern at this point is not the mass subjugation of humankind, but it's more about subtle brainwashing.
The ethical concerns in using artificial intelligence go beyond just a fictional narrative. We are talking about bias, transparency, fairness, and accountability in terms of AI usage. The questions that come with AI’s growing popularity are more about what meets the eye. Consider this example: what if ChatGPT is being trained by someone who is inherently a racist?
We don’t have a stringent framework in place that can modify content generated by your AI tools. This has resulted in a gap where AI can take control of the narrative for millions of people, and no one gets to know a thing.
Bias: Examples of AI bias and ethical implications have been worrying authorities ever since its inception. The tools that are being trained on data that reflects human prejudice end up projecting narrow-minded personal prerogatives in the real world. But the scary part in all this is that it has the potential to cause real-world harm, which is irreversible.
⚠️Take Amazon’s recruiting tool, for example, which was deliberately getting rid of resumes that had the word“ women” and was found prioritizing male-dominated language. This is one of the textbook cases of the nature of bias being lived through training data.
But the story doesn't end here, in recent years we have seen some alarming cases of profiling. From cases of profiling people of color inmates to categorizing them as Gorillas by AI: these are not technical glitches but a clear indication of planned systematic bias. At this point, there is no robot uprising or a third-party entity out there that’s creating havoc; it's us against our misguided prejudice, causing harm for our gains.
Transparency: Transparency in AI is always a challenge as it operates on a black box paradox principle. You will find that with AI, you have next to no context on what’s being done at the backend; or in short, a black box.
➡️ Think about situations like loan approvals, parole recommendations, or job screening with AI. In most cases, if you are rejected, you will never have the scope to re-appeal, and worse, there will never get a clarity on your rejection.
🚨You will be surprised to know that 67% of businesses reported in a 2023 WEF survey that they lack visibility into how their AI systems make decisions.
- Fairness: As AI is completely reliant on past data, it raises ethical concerns in using artificial intelligence in criminal justice and hiring. So if there is an existing dataset that over-represents one group and under-represents another, it can lead to a system that’s unfair and morally bankrupt.
- Accountability: Whom can you blame if your optimized business setup with AI goes for a toss? Our month’s load of work can indeed be done in a few hours with next to no manpower. But this dream setup has no accountability once things start to fall apart.
🔊Think about this. What happens when you get wrongly rejected for a loan application? Or AI is found to spread misinformation about a product? Whom do you blame? The company> the app’s developer > or yourself for trusting blindly in an experimental setup?
How Different Sectors Are Addressing AI Ethics
If we wish to answer the question: Is the use of AI ethical?, we must first consider the guidelines and framework in place. Encouraging its usage without proper safeguards and measures to prevent real-life harm can be catastrophic.
In order to have better control of this situation, we see various sectors coming up with their own solution to prevent any future damage. We now have the big shots like the government, WHO, and many other such governing bodies pitching in to save the day.
- WHO has already stepped into the scene and has highlighted how AI’s capabilities should be used in our favor. The reports (WHO 2021, 2023) highlight how AI in healthcare should be about the people first. It has categorically pointed out that even though the potential of AI in health is huge, it has its own pitfalls. Not only that, but it has also called for a system that is based on fairness, equality, and trust.
- The financial sector has pointed out the various challenges of the unchecked use of AI. A report published by The World Economic Forum talks about how rapidly the financial sector is changing and trying to adapt to this rapid change in its core functionalities.
- Be it a better real-time trading advice or efficient fraud detection, AI is now at the heart of many core operations. This is why industry leaders are now prioritizing ethical AI frameworks, bias audits, and responsible data practices.
🚨 The education sector has been continuously evolving since the inception of AI. Classrooms are becoming more efficient with the support of AI-guided frameworks. However, we still lack strict guidelines on data security, the misuse of AI, gaining unfair advantages, and, most importantly, ensuring inclusivity in the classroom.
We are making progress each day on this front, and efforts are being put in to ensure that using AI is safe and doesn’t disrupt the balance. But, there is still a long way to go!
💡Marketing is currently the only sector that has somehow ensured that everyone is aware of the pitfalls of AI usage. Whether it's the lack of personal tone in AI-generated writing or its inability to share a firsthand experience, using AI in marketing is a tough gamble.
- Google prioritizes content backed by real insight, not just keyword stuffing.
- SEO can only achieve its intended results if the brand has its own niche and voice.
- You can only expect to build an authentic connection with your audience if you dedicate yourself to building your brand’s voice rather than pushing for the numbers.
- Lastly and most importantly, AI’s lack of contextual awareness creates a gap in the narrative. This is why the present usage of an AI content generator is only limited to as a support system for quick idea generation.
What’s the Future of Ethical AI Use?
As we see AI influence growing in every possible sector, from healthcare to hiring, we will find a certain urgency in establishing a guided framework. The need for ethical frameworks, transparent data handling, and inclusive training models will be an indispensable choice.
It is necessary to acknowledge that we have just begun our AI journey. We are still in the trying and testing phase of figuring out what might work for us and what might not.
We already have the government filling in the gaps with WHO’s guardrails on AI usage and its various implications in the health sector. But it's not enough. There needs to be a blanket coverage for everyone who might be at risk or can be impacted if AI takes control of the narrative.
At this point, we also have to acknowledge that if we wish to achieve the sustainable use of AI, the responsibility lies within us, too. We must create a space that encourages an ethical usage of AI, rather than finding loopholes in the system for an upper hand.
The future of AI and its impact will always be determined by one basic question: “Can we use it?” to “Should we use it this way?”
Conclusion: Is the Use of AI Ethical?
There is no black and white answer to a question like this. What we need to understand here first is that using AI has its implications, but it can also aid us favorably. In fact, it has already changed the way we work, think, write, schedule, organize, and more.
If we wish to ensure that the use of AI never crosses ethical limits, it is on us to be vigilant. We cannot dictate or police a developer's intent or algorithm. But we can advocate for transparency, fairness, and accountability in AI systems.
Our mindful choice of not encouraging tools that tend to manipulate results or distort facts is the only way for us to see this through. The fate of our sustainable feature lies in our hands.
FAQs
What does it mean for AI to be ethical?
The concept of Artificial intelligence goes beyond quick hacks or giving the user an upper hand. It is about ensuring there is no real-world harm that takes place owing to its biased decision-making. Not only that, the groundwork for ethical AI is about fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability.
Why is AI ethics important in everyday life?
AI has infiltrated all our existing work setups, be it the government building, healthcare, finance, education, and so much more. In a precarious situation like this, ensuring ethical use of AI is what is going to save us from bias, misinformation, data manipulation, and rampant discrimination.
Can AI be truly unbiased?
This is the biggest bet you have to take as you begin to rely on AI. We are working towards a system that minimizes bias in AI models, but it is going to take some time. As for now, all we know is AI learns from data created by humans, and there is no telling how it has been designed.