Ethics of AI: Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence Systems

The convergence of the availability of a vast amount of big data, the speed and stretch of cloud computing platforms, and the advancement of sophisticated machine learning algorithms have given birth to an array of innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI). In theory, the beneficial impact of AI systems on government translates into improving healthcare services, education, and transportation in smart cities . Other applications that benefit from the implementation of AI systems in the public sector include food supply chain , energy, and environmental management. Indeed, the benefits that AI systems bring to society are grand, and so are the challenges and worries. The evolving technologies learning curve implies miscalculations and mistakes, resulting in unanticipated harmful impacts. We are living in times when it is paramount that the possibility of harm in AI systems has to be recognized and addressed quickly. Thus, identifying the potential risks caused by AI systems means a plan of measures to counteract them has to be adopted as soon as possible.   Public sector organizations can, therefore, anticipate and prevent future potential harms through the creation of a culture of responsible innovation to develop and implement ethical, fair, and safe AI systems. That said, everyone involved in the design, production, and deployment of AI projects, which includes data scientists, data engineers, domain experts, delivery managers, and departmental leads, should consider AI ethics and safety a priority. Artificial Intelligence ethics and roboethics Artificial Intelligence ethics, or AI ethics, comprise a set of values, principles, and techniques which employ widely accepted standards of right and wrong to guide moral conduct in the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence technologies. Robot ethics, also known as roboethics or machine ethics, is concerned with what rules should be applied to ensure the ethical behavior of robots as well as how to design ethical robots. Roboethics deals with concerns and moral dilemmas such as whether robots will pose a threat to humans in the long run, or whether using some robots, such as killer robots in wars, can become problematic for humanity. Roboticists must guarantee that autonomous systems can exhibit ethically acceptable behavior in situations where robots, AI systems, and other autonomous systems such as self-driving vehicles interact with humans. Artificial Intelligence, automation, and AI ethics The development of AI systems must always be responsible and developed toward optimal sustainability for public benefit, Source: putilich/iStock Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are dramatically changing and influencing our society. Applying principles of AI ethics to the design and implementation of algorithmic or intelligent systems and AI projects in the public sector is paramount. AI ethics will guarantee that the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence are ethical, safe, and uttermost responsible. The new interconnected digital world powered by 5G technology is delivering great potential and rapid gains in the power of Artificial Intelligence to better society. Innovation and implementation of AI are already making an impact on improving services from healthcare, education, and transportation to the food supply chain, energy, and environmental management plans, to mention just a few. With the rapid advancements in computing power and access to vast am…