AI ethics: the moral and ethical implications of using artificial intelligence

[TechExperts]

As artificial intelligence moves from novelty to a reality that is touching myriad aspects of how we live and work, the importance of AI ethics grows. Here, AI ethicist Petr Hess describes the primary AI ethics concepts and outlines HPE’s guiding ethical principles.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a topic that has been a major point of contention for a long time. In the past, many people thought that AI was a passing fad, nothing more than a gimmick to make a quick buck. However, recent events have shown otherwise. The incredible speed with which artificial intelligence can learn and process data without human interference has led many people to believe that AI presents a very real threat to the future of humanity.

AI ethics is a branch of AI that explores the moral and ethical ramifications of artificial intelligence. It also covers the philosophical and sociological impact of AI on human life. The idea of artificial intelligence ethics is not new. It has been around for decades, and the debate about it continues to grow. As technology advances, so does our understanding of what it means to make decisions in a world where we are surrounded by machines that think and act like humans.

With power comes responsibility – and a need for guiding principles

Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology that has the potential to bring a lot of good to the world. As AI becomes more prevalent in our daily lives, it’s critical that we address some of the ethical issues surrounding its use.

Enter AI ethics, presenting a set of principles that govern the design and use of artificial intelligence. These principles were created to ensure that AI technologies provide benefits to as many people as possible while also addressing potential risks.

Formulated in 1974 during a meeting in California, these three Asilomar Principles are the most well-known set of AI guidelines.

1. We can create intelligent machines that have some degree of autonomy, but we must maintain human control to prevent unforeseen consequences.

2. Intelligent machines should not be designed solely for military purposes or to destroy life on Earth or our environment. They should be used for constructive purposes and not for destructive ones.

3. Intelligent machines should help humans live more productively and creatively, rather than replace them.

The role of the HPE Advisory Board

We established the HPE Advisory Board to address AI ethics and governance. The board is made up of a panel of experts who are in charge of defining AI ethics. It’s critical to have these guidelines in place so that we can avoid any potential problems in the future.

This group of experts provides approval for various forms of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) solutions deployments that pose a significant risk to HPE. As a result, HPE AI solutions must adhere to these five HPE Ethical Principles.

1. Privacy-enabled and secure

AI systems are not a closed box. They make decisions based on the data they have. This is why it’s important to have a data governance program to monitor and control how data is being used. The use of artificial intelligence systems and their usage in a variety of industries, including banking and financial services, manufacturing, retail, public sector, and Healthcare necessitates the creation of data governance programs.

2. Human-focused

Artificial intelligence systems should not be designed in a way that allows them to make decisions that are beyond human control. It is important to ensure that AI is developed in a way that respects human rights and dignity.

3. Inclusive 

AI is a powerful tool, and it will be used in many ways. But AI should not be used to replace humans, and it should not be used without ethical consideration. AI should never be developed with the intention of harming people.

4. Responsible (accountable, transparent, and explainable)

Responsibility is a crucial concept in the field of AI. We must accept responsibility for the applications and services we use. This implies that we have moral obligations with regard to technology. Accountability means that people or institutions are held responsible for their actions or omissions. The term "AI" refers to a machine's capability to imitate human behavior in a way that seems natural and may be mistaken for human-driven activity. This implies that AI has the capacity to deceive people if not properly managed.

• Accountable –  AI is a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad. It's critical to ensure that the AI's creators are responsible, but not the technology itself. Implementing a system of checks and balances is a key way to achieve this.
• Transparent – The most serious risk that AI technology presents is that it will create systems that are not transparent or understandable. If a system has an unclear decision-making process, individuals may be unable to understand why decisions are being made. It might also be difficult to determine if the decisions are fair.
• Explainable – One of the most significant ethical concerns regarding AI is that we do not yet understand how these algorithms function. This makes it difficult for us to understand which biases these algorithms have and how they might impact the future. As a result, it is essential to ensure that AI is explainable.

5. Robust

Robust AI is a method of mitigating the misuse of AI and limiting its influence throughout the development process. It ensures that the system will continue to operate even if data is incorrect, or certain components are not operating correctly. We can prevent people from utilizing computers for malicious purposes by ensuring that they are safe and secure.

Note that some AI applications have been termed unethical and even dangerous owing to a lack of ethical standards. In this case, we recommend holding an AI Ethics Assessment meeting with the AI Ethics Working Group. Please direct any questions or concerns to aiethics@hpe.com.

Learn more about AI and its role in business and the world: Consider the HPE AI Transformation Workshop

This training is useful for any business seeking to learn more about artificial intelligence. Workshops help organizations understand the opportunities and challenges of AI. They also help participants increase their knowledge of topics like project management, creative thinking methods, and how to navigate AI disruption in the future. A workshop can be provided as a training course or can be customized as needed. (Service SKU: HF2Z3A1)

Commit to AI for Good

This is a movement that uses artificial intelligence to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. It was founded in 2009 by Professor Toby Walsh, and its goal is to create a safer, more prosperous world through the ethical use of artificial intelligence.

At HPE, we follow this vision, and we apply an ethical approach to our edge-to-cloud solutions for businesses of every size, from SMB to enterprise.

Interested in further insights and discussions around AI ethics? Contact the HPE Advisory Board at aiethics@hpe.com.

---

Meet Tech Experts blogger Petr Hess, AI ethicist

 Petr is an AI Ambassador at HPE where he works on edge-to-cloud AI solutions for several EMEA regions and educates others about the technology. He is a member of the Worldwide TecHub in Prague for the EMEA region. Petr earned a master’s degree in computer engineering. His focus areas are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and optimization of deep neural networks. Connect with Petr on LinkedIn.

Insights Experts
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

twitter.com/HPE_AI
linkedin.com/showcase/hpe-ai/
hpe.com/us/en/solutions/artificial-intelligence.html