Artificial intelligence must be ethical

The United States has decided to seek public comments on potential accountability measures for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This draws attention to the problematic social impact of AI. The European Union, too, has been busy seeking its own solution to the problem of what many deem to be controversial technology. The latest demonstration of AI’s impact is the runaway popularity of ChatGPT. This programme is said to have become the fastest-growing consumer application in history with more than 100 million monthly active users just two months into its launch.

AI tools such as ChatGPT

are enabling in the sense that they give users access to vast amounts of analysed data that can be tailored to address their specific informational needs, in a way that human intelligence cannot conceivably match, certainly in the same amount of time. “Generative” AI, which absorbs information available on the Internet to answer complex questions, is path-breaking. The pervasive impact of AI in general is felt in banking, where algorithms can help bank advisers to locate funds, bonds or shares that suit the preferences of their customers. Transport is another key area in which AI is revolutionising modes of human interaction. Education is being forced to contend with the way in which ChatGPT influences students’ academic presentations.