Category: Ethics

‘A global reference point for trustworthy AI’ is how the OECD headlines this report from their Council on Artificial Intelligence. They note optimism about economic growth from AI and at the same time notice ‘anxieties and ethical concerns,’ which they…

THE GUARDIAN reports that a UNESCO study says smart speakers like Siri and Alexa should not use female voices by default. The study suggests the computer-simulated voices should be treated as ‘non-human,’ and that programming for digital assistants should discourage…

‘Consider the following scenario: a car from China has different factory standards than a car from the US, but is shipped to and used in the US. This Chinese-made car and a US-made car are heading for an unavoidable collision….

Runs: 90m Discussion starts around 9:38, following introductions A wide-ranging conversation: ethics in society, hacking humans, free will, and more. Moderated by Nicholas Thompson, WIRED’s Editor-in-Chief The session was jointly sponsored by Stanford University’s Humanities Center, McCoy Family Center for…

The EUROPEAN COMMISSION presents seven guidelines for trustworthy artificial intelligence. The Commission says they want to create ‘an environment of trust’ when developing AI as well as when deploying and using AI. Each of the seven headings links to the…

‘Alphabet likes to position itself as a leader in AI research, but it was six months behind rival Microsoft in warning investors about the technology’s ethical risks.’ WIRED reports that ethics is a risk management item at Alphabet and Microsoft….

‘As the world acknowledges the inevitability of AI and ML, the conversation has, however, shifted to its ethics, with governments and lawmakers bringing out stringent policies regarding the applicability of the technology.’  ANALYTICS INDIA reports on uses of ethics guidelines…

‘While the panellists agreed that it is impossible to have an ‘ethical AI’, they believe that ‘AI ethics’ is a discussion that we should constantly engage in.’ ASIAN SCIENTIST reports on a Singapore conference panel of industry and regulatory leaders…

‘Chen (Xiaoping), professor and director of the Robotics Laboratory at the University of Science and Technology of China, said AI in China had developed to a point where ethical guidelines were now necessary to address potential risks in large-scale applications.’…

Technologies inevitably embody the values of their creators, whether a small team of engineers or a large group of nations imagining a collective destiny THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM says beneficial outcomes should be foremost when technology is on the agenda….

Ethical standards are likely to become as important at shaping global competition as technological standards have been since the 1980s. THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM suggests acceptance of AI systems depends on predictability and trust, in turn arising from robust ethical…

‘We acknowledge that this area is dynamic and evolving, and we will approach our work with humility, a commitment to internal and external engagement, and a willingness to adapt our approach as we learn over time.’ Google has released seven…

The U.K. HOUSE OF LORDS SELECT COMMITTEE on AI has 74 recommendations for the future of artificial intelligence. Their exhaustive report suggests development be guided by a code of ethics: Artificial intelligence should be developed for the common good and…

Runs 62:16 PANEL moderated by Marina Jirotka, Professor of Human Centred Computing, Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford PANELISTS Mariarosaria Taddeo, Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford Deputy Director of the Digital Ethics Lab, Faculty…

‘Despite its name, there is nothing “artificial” about this technology — it is made by humans, intended to behave like humans and affects humans. So if we want it to play a positive role in tomorrow’s world, it must be…

‘The idea is to train the next generation of technologists and policymakers to consider the ramifications of innovations — like autonomous weapons or self-driving cars — before those products go on sale.’ THE NEW YORK TIMES reports morality is becoming…

‘A clause something like: “When using artificial intelligence to augment your journalism, consider its compatibility with the values of this code. Software that ‘thinks’ is increasingly useful, but it does not necessarily gather or process information ethically.”’ IN THE GUARDIAN…

Runs 25:32 PANEL with Paula Boddington, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford Florian Werner, CEO, FragRobin AG  Dr. Habil Eberhard Schnebel, Lecturer, Goethe-University Frankfurt Center for Business Ethics  November 2017 | Berlin

Oxford philosopher Paula Boddington delivers a reference-grade volume that is timely, helpful, and clear. This is the first book about codified ethics for AI. There’s a general belief that ethics are essential in guiding how such a powerful yet unknown…

Matt Carlson says algorithms may challenge journalistic authority. He argues that journalistic judgement and algorithmic judgement should not be intertwined. AUTHOR Matt Carlson, Department of Communication, St. Louis University. ABSTRACT ‘Journalistic judgment is both a central and fraught function of…

THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY US PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL provides a succinct review of algorithms and their potential for bias, amongst other consequences arising from their use. They provide seven principles intended to balance concerns and benefits. ‘The ubiquity of…

Konstantin Nicholas Dörr and Katharina Hollnbuchner present a framework for considering ethical issues when algorithms generate news. AUTHORS Konstantin Nicholas Dörr, Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research, Media Change & Innovation Division, University of Zurich Katharina Hollnbuchner, Institute of…

This elegant book by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom ignited a worldwide discussion about what ‘thinking machines’ will mean for humanity. Conversations about machines acting on their own tend to converge on one point, which Bostrom compactly calls ‘the control problem’….