Communications of the ACM
AI and Neurotechnology: Learning from AI Ethics to Address an Expanded Ethics Landscape
Credit: Spooky Pooka / Debut Art
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a scientific field and a technology that is supported by multiple techniques—such as machine learning, reasoning, knowledge representation, and optimization—and has applications in almost every aspect of everyday life. We use some form of AI when we swipe a credit card, search the Web, take a picture with our cameras, give vocal commands to our phone or other device, and interact with many apps and social media platforms. Companies of every size and business model, all over the world, are adopting AI solutions to optimize their operations, create new services and work modalities, and help their professionals to make more informed and better decisions.
Key Insights
Current Issues in AI Ethics
There is no doubt that AI is a powerful technology that has already imprinted itself positively on our ways of living and will continue to do so for years to come. At the same time, the transformations it brings to our personal and professional lives are often significant, fast, and not always transparent or easily foreseen. This raises questions and concerns about the impact of AI on our society. AI systems must be designed to be aware of, and to follow, important human values so that the technology can help us make better, wiser decisions. Let us consider the main AI ethics issues and how they relate to AI technology:
Data issues. AI often needs a lot of data, so questions about data privacy, storage, sharing, and governance are central for this technology. Some regions of the world, such as Europe, have specific regulations to state fundamental rights for the data subject—the human releasing personal data to an AI system that can then use it to make decisions affecting that person's life.15
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