The EU Says That Artificial Intelligence Must Have Ethical Guidelines

The European Union said on Monday that Artificial Intelligence must be made accountable by companies who use them to avoid misuse or abuse. The companies will be compelled to install accountability mechanisms under the new ethical guidelines for technology open to abuse.

Artificial Intelligence has been adopted in many areas of human life. It’s not debatable that AI exists to augment our lives; however, industries who leverage on them must apply caution to avoid a disaster as Elon Musk had warned. The commission is proposing that every AI project must have human oversight, security, and reliance.

Thanks to AI, we have automated teller machines, we can do transfers with ease, companies can detect fraud quickly and threats on cybersecurity. There is an improvement in the health sector, and we can cope with climate change. Nevertheless, if not adequately managed, AI can be used to cause harm by supporting dishonest business practices.

In the past, there had been accidents by robotic vehicles and assistants. Even though these accidents have allegedly been caused by “human error,” the commission recommends that AI must be subject to privacy and regulations.

Why Artificial Intelligence Should Be Regulated

Machines or computers do not understand what they are doing. They don’t understand a command or a response. It has just learned over time that many people send phrases in emails. The machines can’t think. If a company announces that it is launching a new AI feature, it’s merely using machine learning to build a neural network. Simply put, it is teaching the machine how to perform a specific task better.

All artificial intelligence has learned to do a specific task very well because they have been automated to learn. It’s the same way they can be automated to act unscrupulously with reverse commands.

The issue with AI had raised concerns about whether companies should place ethical considerations ahead of business interests and if these regulations will not alter innovations.  The executives saddled about 52 experts from companies including Google with the responsibility to draft the principles to govern the use of AI.

Martin Jetter, IBM Europe Chairman, who was a part of the experts said:

“Guidelines set a global standard for efforts to advance AI that is ethical and responsible.”

Achim Berg, President of BITKOM, Germany’s Federal Association of Information Technology, Telecommunications, and New Media says that Europe should not refrain from improving AI.