Why We Need To Be Extra Cautious with AI Tools

Artificial Technology has been a game-changer in every walk of life for humans. AI devices make daily chores more convenient and efficient, from voice assistants to smartwatches and chatbots. Recent developments even made super-intelligent machines possible.

However, several theories and research speculate AI’s capabilities to become smarter than any human can be threatening in the coming times. There’s a reason even industry giants like Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates express concerns about AI’s probable risks.

Let’s delve into the risks of AI-related threats and their underlying causes to stay prepared for what’s coming in the future.

Unemployment

An ever-growing number of organizations are leveraging AI tools, apps, and devices to automate repetitive tasks. As per the definition, AI solutions are automated machines that can learn and solve problems without human interference. Thus, the loss of jobs is the biggest concern lurking among working professionals in all industries.

It’ll leave the lower-wage service sector more vulnerable to unemployment. Besides, the salary for blue-collar employees will reduce due to the automation of manual jobs.

However, post-graduates and skilled professionals are also not immune to AI adoption in various segments, such as law firms. AI systems can replace corporate attorneys by drafting comprehensive business contracts. It can quickly understand the nitty-gritty of complex legal documents that an attorney would usually take hours to comb through.

Hence, constant upskilling is the need of the hour to secure every level of job in all industries. If not, many employees can miss opportunities due to needing more technical skills.

Data Privacy Issues

Another major setback of AI is a breach of privacy while using online sites. Many businesses these days collect large datasets for various operational tasks. Data is the lubrication for AI systems that puts users’ privacy at stake in multiple ways. Malicious actors can use deep learning algorithms to create new malware and steal user data.

For instance, players can now gamble using credit cards on the best real money casino games online. Since smart systems are increasingly adapting to cracking encryption, bad actors can steal valuable banking data and user identity. This data breach will also significantly damage the operator’s reputation in the market.

Thus, creating ultra-secure confidential computing environments is crucial to protect companies and users from data breaches.

Social Manipulation

It’s an era in which intelligent systems like openAI can seamlessly compose content, including texts, videos, realistic human images, and voiceovers. However, corrupt governments and organizations can use these AI systems as powerful manipulation tools. They can create fake content within a few minutes to influence the opinion of the vulnerable audience.

In fact, computational propaganda is already a reality, such as an unethical, fear-spreading campaign by Cambridge Analytica. According to reports, the company misused Facebook user data during the US elections to bring Donald Trump to power.

Furthermore, AI-powered cameras and facial recognition systems used by the government can track a person’s every movement, such as jogging schedule, time spent on the internet, and last checked-in locations. China is already using this technology to log every citizen all over the country.

Undoubtedly, this total invasion of privacy can become a source of social intimidation. The authorities can use this massive dataset later to analyse and manipulate the political beliefs of its citizens, which is downright human-rights abuse.

Bias and Discrimination

AI systems are inherently unbiased is a myth. The human-borne discrimination can creep into AI-powered machines when users feed algorithms with biased datasets.

However, AI biases can be societal or data-related. An AI system based on predisposition present in everyday life offers societal bias outcomes. On the contrary, a Machine Learning model trained with invalid or skewed information is data bias.

There are risks involving bias and inequality in healthcare AI that provide specific outcomes without underlying thought or reasoning. Automated systems disadvantage ethnic minorities to a greater extent compared to the white population. For instance, people of color consult fewer doctors than white patients for chronic pain. A data-trained ML model might recommend a lower painkiller dosage to them, which shows systemic bias.

Further, medical institutions that leverage black box models can face accountability and transparency problems. The complex and ambiguous decision-making process makes it challenging for users to interpret underlying logic.

Thus, prioritizing transparency is crucial for companies using AI models. Avoiding bias isn’t entirely feasible, but reducing it should be a top focus. It ensures the reduction of unforeseen predispositions and fosters trust.

Autonomous Weapons

There’s speculation that the military will use lethal autonomous weapons in future wars. Several experts, including Elon Musk, warned the UN about the potential threat of autonomous robots. Also known as killer robots, these weapons can search and independently aim targets based on pre-programmed instructions.

One of the critical dangers of using AI-powered war weapons is the misjudgement between the enemy and innocent civilians. Hence, autonomous war equipment can create a range of operational, moral, and legal challenges.

FAQs

1. What are the dangers and cautions around using artificial intelligence?

Although not every AI innovation is risky, some risks may arise without being restrained on time. It can include consumer privacy threats, vague legal regulations, data quality issues, cyberattacks, automated war equipment, and unemployment.

2. Why is AI safety important?

Creating a safe AI environment is crucial to protect the world at individual, societal, and environmental levels. In simple terms, to safeguard humanity from any form of harm.

3. How can we stay safe with AI?

It’s vital for developers and stakeholders to strictly control, maintain, and monitor the performance of systems to create an AI safety culture.

Bottom Line

Like any powerful technology, Artificial Intelligence is also susceptible to misuse. Indeed, AI-enabled technologies improved various aspects of life, ranging from better medical diagnoses to finding a location.

However, developers and stakeholders must stay realistic about its capabilities and limitations. That said, the focus should shift toward developing responsible AI to minimize unintended and harmful consequences.

Thus, it’s high time to evaluate what risks AI tools and gadgets pose for a proactive approach.