OF MONSTERS AND MEN
And so, we must recognize our own power in this complex equation. Computers may be making their own conclusions, but we — the creators — have ultimate responsibility for their design, their deployment, and their destiny.
A Guide for Ethical Technological Innovation
In a World of Giants
In this report, I explore the unintended consequences of artificial intelligence, stakeholders' responses to discriminatory design, and the strengths and limitations of current ethics frameworks in addressing these dilemmas.
Values
Artificial intelligence — the simulation of natural thought within man-made machines — is as impressive as it is intimidating. On one hand, the automation of manual tasks has allowed for unprecedented efficiency, accuracy, and standardization in today’s interconnected world. But the same process that allows for rapid digital improvement — an internal feedback loop called machine learning — can cause rapid harm if not properly overseen. And because algorithms leave no visible trace, these violations go largely unnoticed. Instead, errors and bias are masked by claims of superhuman precision.
VISUAL
Mind Patterns
FOCUS
Defining Ethics
Amidst the current craze to define responsible innovation, the best solution, counterintuitively, might be to turn to the ancient. Ethics frameworks have been around for centuries. These classical principles — far removed from the realities of artificial intelligence — may nevertheless ground, and provide common language for, a uniquely modern phenomenon.
...within modern realms:
I analyzed age-old frameworks...
... and arrived at an inconvenient truth: ethics in theory does not mean ethics in practice.
Ultimately, we need more than a defined set of principles. We need practices that can embed them.
Embedding Ethics
Because innovation occurs on a multidimensional plane — one with moving parts and messy outcomes — ethical protocol should mirror the complexity of its context. For that, companies must consider all elements on the production process: