The Promises and Perils of AI: The Urgent Need for Ethical Frameworks

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool with the potential to revolutionize our world. It promises to bring unparalleled efficiency, accuracy and innovation to a wide range of fields, from medicine to finance to transportation. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and the risks associated with AI cannot be ignored. It is of the utmost importance to make sure that AI is developed and used in an ethical manner, especially given the rapid proliferation of ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI.

According to a UBS study, ChatGPT is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users in January, just two months after its launch. This makes it the fastest-growing consumer application in history – one that everyone wants to try and big brands like Amazon and Google want to beat. More than the latest innovation, this technology is connecting to the public in ways never seen before.

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“ChatGPT has played the evangelist role for all the AI products,” Nouri says. “And now others are swiftly trying to follow in its footsteps to get to the same audience, which is now more open-minded about leveraging AI. It’s completely changed the culture and the way people think about AI.”

AI: the evangelist

AI, as a technology, does not have beliefs or values and therefore, cannot play an “evangelist role” in the traditional sense of the term. However, it is being developed and deployed by individuals and organizations who may have certain beliefs or values that they want to promote or spread.

For example, a company that develops AI-powered tools for environmental monitoring may be motivated by a desire to promote sustainability and protect the environment.

Additionally, AI can be used to promote certain messages or beliefs through the content it generates or recommends.

For example, social media algorithms that recommend news articles or other content to users can potentially influence their beliefs and opinions. This is why there are ongoing discussions about the ethical implications of AI and the need for transparency and accountability in its development and deployment. It’s a conversation Nouri is passionate to have a voice in.

“If we are not aware of diversity in decision-making when it comes to making these products, then there could be an inherent bias being injected in the way that AI is being built,” Nouri explains. “Consider something that is as far-reaching as ChatGPT being biased. Its impact has the potential to cause ripples across the entire world.”

The dark side of AI

AI has undoubtedly contributed to the world in positive ways. However, its vast reach means if something goes wrong, it’s not easily righted. “If you don’t think about the risks and the problems of AI before you open the door, it might not be very easy to close the door later,” Nouri says. 

“Look at social media. It was unleashed and adopted quickly. Now researchers are tying a lot of negative impacts to it like an increased risk of depression and anxiety. But the cat’s already out of the bag. And it is very difficult to dial back.”

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That’s why it’s critical to prioritize ethical considerations to ensure that AI benefits humanity as a whole. It’s one of the reasons AI4Diversity is gaining such momentum – because it’s people-led. In many ways, it’s crowdsourcing. It’s powered by the people it impacts.

If a big brand tried to issue any sort of governance around AI, people would assume it was just trying to find a new way to make money off of it. And if the government tried to put controls in place, then the sentiment would likely be that it was just trying to control and enforce. AI4Diversity has a massive opportunity to genuinely drive a lot of positive change and impact and support what is a truly great technology.

Three AI concerns that can’t be ignored:

Data privacy: AI systems require vast amounts of data to be trained, and this data often contains sensitive information about individuals. Therefore, it is important to establish clear guidelines and regulations regarding data collection, storage and use. This includes ensuring that individuals have control over their own data and are aware of how it is being used.

Transparency: AI systems can be complex and difficult to understand, which can make it challenging to identify and address potential biases or errors. Therefore, it is important to ensure that AI systems are transparent and explainable so their decision-making processes can be understood and scrutinized.

Social responsibility: AI systems must be designed to benefit society as a whole, rather than just a select few individuals or corporations. This requires a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity as well as a recognition that AI has the potential to exacerbate existing inequalities if not developed with care.

AI for good

With the power of machine learning and deep learning, AI is now able to perform complex tasks and make decisions with remarkable accuracy, surpassing human capabilities in some cases. However, while AI is undoubtedly amazing and is there to help us achieve and improve, it’s not a replacement for human intelligence.

Nouri agrees, sharing the positive ways AI has impacted the modern world. “AI is adding real value to people’s lives,” he points out. “In healthcare, AI is diagnosing disease much faster and with greater accuracy, which is very positive for everyone. 

“In the environment, AI is now being used to monitor and protect wildlife. It’s moved beyond simply touching our lives through Netflix recommendations for our next new series binge. AI is positively impacting our lives, our communities and the planet, which makes me incredibly happy to see.”

A transformative force 

As with any new technology, there are potential risks and challenges associated with AI adoption, such as ethical concerns, job displacement and biases. But one thing is certain, AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the future of technology and society. This was evident in SnapLogic’s recent research, which revealed nearly two-thirds (66%) of respondents like the idea of using AI in their role, either currently or in the future and 42% desire a better understanding of how AI would specifically benefit them in their role.

SnapLogic has been an early adopter of AI and recently announced SnapGPT, the first-ever generative AI solution for enterprise applications.

The new addition to the SnapLogic platform leverages AI to quickly integrate and automate business processes using natural language prompts. SnapLogic has been a pioneer in incorporating AI and ML technology to simplify the integration, automation, and orchestration of data flows across the enterprise. Shortly afterwards, SnapLogic also announced the launch of SnapLabs, a dedicated environment for the SnapLogic community to experience unreleased products and features.  

As we continue to see advancements in AI technology and its integration into various industries, it’s clear this is not just a passing trend, but rather a transformative force that will shape the future of many industries and society as a whole. When technology changes culture and human behaviour, that’s when you know it’s here to stay.