‘…we are both invested and sensitive to how AI is portrayed in the media. In this article, we suggest a list of best practices for media coverage of AI, some of which may not be obvious to people without a technical background in AI.’
Skynet Today suggests ten ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ for how to portray AI.
The do’s:
- Do: Be careful with what “AI” is
- Do: make clear what role humans have to play
- Do: emphasize the narrowness of today’s AI-powered programs
- Do: avoid comparisons to pop culture depictions of AI
- Do: make clear what the task is, precisely
- Do: call out limitations
The don’ts:
- Don’t: imply autonomy where there is none
- Don’t: state programs “learn” without appropriate caveats
- Don’t: cite opinions of famous smart people who don’t work on AI
- Don’t: ignore the failures
Skynet Today is published online by two graduate students in computer science, along with contributors from the field. They say their points reflect a canvass of AI researchers and their own ideas.
They quickly point out that their advice is not always followed within the AI research community, either. Their intent is a set of principles to apply and to ‘ignore as need be according to good judgment.’