AI issues and ethics

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed many aspects of our lives, from personalised recommendations to autonomous vehicles. However, while the technology is advancing rapidly, it also poses complex challenges in terms of ethics and responsibility. To ensure responsible development, it is imperative that human intervention remains central to the management and oversight of AI. This article examines the key ethical issues and the need for human guidance.

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Bias and Discrimination in Algorithms

AI algorithms can incorporate biases in the data used to train them, which can lead to discrimination in different areas. AI models used for recruitment may favour certain profiles over others due to historical biases in CVs. AI-based credit assessment can disadvantage certain demographic groups due to biased data. Humans must ensure that decisions remain fair and equitable, and define standards of accountability.

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Data confidentiality

"When using artificial intelligence to generate images, videos or texts, it is imperative to respect the confidentiality and image rights of individuals. When creating images involving individuals, whether famous or not, it is crucial to ensure that these people are not recognisable without their explicit consent. Image rights are an aspect of privacy law that protects individuals from unauthorised use of their image. As a user of AI technologies, you must obtain the necessary authorisations before reproducing or modifying someone's appearance in your projects. Failure to comply with these principles may result in infringement of individual rights and expose you to legal consequences.

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Transparency and Clarity

Many AI models, particularly deep neural networks, operate like 'black boxes', making it difficult to understand their decisions. Human experts need to supervise these systems, create more transparent models, and ensure that users understand and accept the decisions made by the AI.

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Responsibility and Regulation

The speed of progress in AI has left regulatory and legal frameworks lagging behind. Determining who is responsible for AI mistakes is not always clear: the developers, the users, or the algorithms themselves? Organisations need to develop clear guidelines for the responsible use of AI, taking into account societal impacts, and human regulators need to monitor AI, develop ethical rules, and intervene when systems overstep the boundaries of safety and ethics.

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Systems Autonomy

Autonomous systems, such as driverless vehicles and drones, raise complex ethical issues: Autonomous vehicles could have to choose between several actions with human consequences in emergency situations. Autonomous weapons could make lethal decisions without human intervention, posing a major risk to humanity. Humans must have the final say on decisions taken by these autonomous systems, especially when it comes to matters of life and death.

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Respect for intellectual property

The rise of artificial intelligence in content creation raises complex questions about copyright. Who owns the intellectual property of a work generated by AI? Is it the user who provided the initial instructions, the software developers, or the AI itself? Clarification of these issues is essential to protect creators and ensure fair remuneration. Faced with these challenges, it is imperative that legislators adapt copyright laws to better reflect the realities of AI-assisted creation. This legislative update will need to clearly define the ownership of AI works and establish guidelines for the ethical use of these innovative technologies, thereby guaranteeing copyright protection while promoting innovation and cultural diversity.