What Are The Ethical Issues Associated With Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence has become the talk of the town. Every sector of the market has been taken over by this technology and will continue to do so. According to Google CEO, within a few years, Artificial Intelligence technology will have a more transformative impact on humankind than the advent of electricity had. We cannot deny the fact that AI has automated those tasks that were considered difficult. This technology has reduced human errors and has improved everything from marketing to fashion.

However, there is a negative aspect to this ever-advancing technology. There are various issues associated with this technology that need to be brought to light. Depending too much on technology can be detrimental to us. It's high time that we do risk assessment this technology holds for us. In this article, we are going to discuss the issues associated with this AI technology that keep the experts awake all night.

Issues associated with the unethical use of Artificial Intelligence technology:

Everything we come across as human beings has its pros and cons. Artificial Intelligence technology is no exception. We need to understand both the negative and positive potential of this technology before we make it an essential part of our lives. So, without further ado, the following are the ethical issues associated with Artificial Intelligence:

With the automation of laborious tasks, the need for the human workforce is going down. A couple of years ago, the global market was dominated by physical work. The introduction of AI has changed this trend. According to research, with the advent of technology cognitive labour is gradually replacing the previously dominating physical labour. According to PWC, AI-enabled activities will increase the global GDP by 14 percent by the year 2030.

The complex roles have now been automated with the help of Artificial Intelligence technology. This leaves very little room for people to take labor-intensive tasks. People who are not familiar with ever-advancing technology will have a hard time adjusting to this major shift. This will create unemployment because complex physically challenging roles will be taken over by robots or AI technology.

• Unequal distribution of revenue:

Every individual who is a part of the global economic system needs to be compensated for his contribution to the economy. These individuals are compensated with an hourly wage. Even now, various companies rely on hourly work. These companies deal with products and services. If Artificial Intelligence will take over the roles formerly performed by humans, it will drastically reduce the need for the human workforce. When that happens, the revenue generated will be distributed among only a few people. As a consequence, all the money will go to the people that own the AI-driven companies. It will result in poverty, unemployment, and inequality.

• Racism in robotics:

The speed and capacity by which AI processes things are way faster as compared to human beings. However, it cannot beat the human brain in its judgments. We cannot always expect it to be fair and neutral in its results as we, the humans are. The rise of racist robots is another major concern that needs to be addressed before incorporating AI into our day to day life.

Let’s take the example of Google’s Photos service. This service is used to identify objects, scenes as well as people. Since it is programmed on a particular criterion, this technology can miss out on racial sensitivities. There are various software used to identify criminals. Some of them have proven to be biased against black people.

• Security concerns:

According to a report published by Cambridge University, AI computers have the potential to impersonate targets with the help of speech technology. This technology can also be used to do superhuman hacking. Potential security threats associated with AI include:

• Development of cyber weapons
• Hacking is made more sophisticated
• The spread of misinformation and panic

The stronger the technology gets, the more dangerous it is when it gets into the wrong hands. The majority of the fights in the future will not be fought on the battleground. We will have to secure our systems so that the enemy doesn’t breach our cyber security. We need to be careful and make sure that AI technology is not being used maliciously. We need to monitor where Artificial Intelligence is being used. That’s because the technology we are dealing with here is way smarter than we think.

How to avoid being a victim of unethical AI practices? 

It's no doubt that AI has changed our lives for good. From AI in fashion to healthcare, no field has been left uninfluenced by this ever-evolving technology. However, empowering this technology to automate everything humans can do can be extremely dangerous. Computers are getting smarter. Soon there will no aspect of life that will not rely on Artificial Intelligent devices. It's high time that we fully understand the potential this technology has and get more responsible while using Artificial Intelligence.

The impact of Coronavirus pandemic on workplace practices: 

Coronavirus has caused people to sit at home. Countless people have lost their jobs and many are working from home. Solution distancing is the only solution we know of by now. People cannot work from their offices. They cannot use public transport to commute. Automizing the tasks that were once performed by human beings can be a major step forward in preventing economy to experience a dip. Following are the ways this pandemic is going to change the way we work:

More reliance on AI-enabled systems:

There is a lot the world has learned from the Coronavirus pandemic. Since this disease is spread via human to human contact, working in an office is not an option. That’s because it puts the employees at risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus disease. One of the best solutions to this problem is to reduce human interaction and automate some of those roles that can be performed by technology. Having an AI-enabled system can save economy from going down in case of a pandemic just like the one we are experiencing right now.

Improvement in workplace hygiene:

Once corona pandemic is over, people will give their personal hygiene and cleanliness more importancethan ever before. New rules will be set to make working environment safer for the employees. Everyone would have to follow the system that would be put in place improve the hygiene in the working environment. If a person fails to follow the rules, he would be fined or punished.

More people working from home: 

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, more companies will allow their employees to work from home. This pandemic has helped us learn that working from home is not a bad option. There is a lot people can accomplish while working from the comfort of their home. Productivity will increase as no time will be wasted while travelling to and from work. Moreover, physical interaction will also reduce when people won’t be using public transport for travelling.

Final words:

Everything around us has its advantages and disadvantages. Sure, technology has streamlined the majority of the processes for us, but if not used responsibly, it can wreak havoc on our lives. One of the most powerful and smartest technologies that have been making its way into the public as well as private aspects of our life is Artificial Intelligence. It is getting more advanced with every passing day. This technology has the potential to bring down even the most established companies. Therefore, we need to be at the top of our instincts to make sure that our privacy and security is not compromised by the malicious use of this technology.