Comments on: Are tech companies using data in more ethical ways? https://www.openforum.com.au/are-tech-companies-using-data-in-more-ethical-ways/ Open Forum offers an independent platform for Australian debate Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:24:05 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 By: Alan Stevenson https://www.openforum.com.au/are-tech-companies-using-data-in-more-ethical-ways/#comment-4994 Sat, 01 Dec 2018 23:13:59 +0000 http://www.openforum.com.au/?p=18148#comment-4994 When dealing with AI the concept of ethics becomes very difficult to manage. We, as humans think we can determine ethical standards and to a certain extent that is correct. However, teaching AI, even one with a learning sub-routine, the basics of ethical behaviour has, to date, been impossible. Even amongst humans, what is considered to be ethical in China might not be so in Australia.

Added to this, when a computer is given a learning routine and all the data it subsequently demands, even the programmers are unable to determine or predict what its response would be in a given scenario (take the game ‘Go’ when the AI made a move no human would have considered).

When we talk about ethical standards we find that even amongst experts in the field there is little consensus. What chance do we have when dealing with self-serving multinationals reliant on their advertising revenue? Even in an ideal situation I believe we are on dangerous ground.

AI is here to stay and we must adapt. I believe that this means we must teach our youth to question more the so-called facts we are bombarded with every day – not to the extent of becoming paranoid, but by using simple logic as an everyday fact of life.

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