AI Ethics

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item AI Ethics

  • This is a fascinating area for me. I enjoy the science fiction that addresses these issues such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (I think the book is more interesting in this area than the film adaptation, Blade Runner). Westworld, the TV series, and the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons are more contemporary examinations. OK, they're a long way from  addressing real issues now but you've got to think ahead 😀

  • A book that addresses real issues is "Weapons of Math Destruction", by Cathy O'Neil.  She talks about how AI algorithms build in unfair behavior, and usually in a way that is visible to almost nobody.  For example, resume parsers may give extra weight to degrees from certain universities, although doing so skews the demographics and disadvantages most minorities.  That's a very simple example, and there are much more insidious ones.  Highly recommend this book.

  • Yes, implementing ethical rules into an AI system is a tricky subject, especially when society in general can't objectively define what is ethical or  even abide by existing codified ethics laws. But there are some industries like healthcare and insurance where regulations and internal procedural rules govern how they have done business for decades (how should patients be triaged when the emergency rooms are inundated?, what factors should influence insurance rates?, etc.).

    Another thing to keep in mind is that ethical decision making involves qualitative analysis. Can an AI really choose which patient gets the kidney transplant when there are so many qualitative and subjective issues to consider?

    "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • I think it's less the AI making a decision in some fields, and more what is their recommendation? We have data for decades, but not flawed/biased/etc is that data? We see a lot of that in fields that use previous data on decisions for training.

     

  • larry.blake wrote:

    A book that addresses real issues is "Weapons of Math Destruction", by Cathy O'Neil.  She talks about how AI algorithms build in unfair behavior, and usually in a way that is visible to almost nobody.  For example, resume parsers may give extra weight to degrees from certain universities, although doing so skews the demographics and disadvantages most minorities.  That's a very simple example, and there are much more insidious ones.  Highly recommend this book.

    That's a perfect example of what I was going to bring up.  WHOSE "ethics" will be imparted?  And then there's religious and political "ethics".  Lordy...

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • larry.blake wrote:

    A book that addresses real issues is "Weapons of Math Destruction", by Cathy O'Neil.  She talks about how AI algorithms build in unfair behavior, and usually in a way that is visible to almost nobody.  For example, resume parsers may give extra weight to degrees from certain universities, although doing so skews the demographics and disadvantages most minorities.  That's a very simple example, and there are much more insidious ones.  Highly recommend this book.

    The real issue here is why the title is not 'Weapons of Maths Destruction' surely? This would be correct English and sound better, i.e. more like mass, too 😉

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply