Conversations on AI ethics: What will the tech world look like in 2021?

Human oversight and accountability - how much is needed?

There are benefits to artificial intelligence technologies like this one which can predict the severity of pneumonia in a patient based on an X-ray image. But AI can also run amok with unintended outcomes.
There are benefits to artificial intelligence technologies like this one which can predict the severity of pneumonia in a patient based on an X-ray image. But AI can also run amok with unintended outcomes. PHOTO: CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL
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The deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will continue unabated. From automating driverless cars and factory operations to detecting cyber threats and fraud to predicting diseases and customer profitability, nations are looking to such technologies to lift economies ravaged by Covid-19.

AI seeks to simulate human abilities such as problem solving, learning, planning and predicting. The technology processes a vast amount of information to predict outcomes, and can do so faster and more accurately than humans.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 05, 2021, with the headline Human oversight and accountability - how much is needed? . Subscribe