You’ll Be Scared in the Dark
One of the most debated AI-application in recent years has been facial recognition (such capabilities were called image processing 15 years ago but are routinely termed AI today). Did you know that a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that these systems misidentified people of color more often than white people? Moreover, people of Asian and African American descent were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white, middle-aged men. But the algorithms also misidentified the elderly, women, and children at a significantly higher rate, the study found. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that middle-aged white men generally benefited from the highest accuracy rates. According to The Verge, NIST looked at 189 algorithms from 99 organizations, which counted together, powering most of the facial recognition systems in use.

Is Dystopia the Logical Consequence?

We know different ways in which unfounded fears are stirred. The various ways in which news is distorted or facts are denounced as fake news. We understand how AI applications produce fake images and distribute them to compromise deep counterfeit pictures and videos (called “deepfakes”).

Since there are no killer robots yet and the probability is more significant that humans’ technological advances against other humans seem more likely, we need to know whether and how we should be afraid or develop a fear in the first place. Or, in other words: Where is it worth taking a closer look? How do we have to educate ourselves to find out precisely what is in danger? With the advances that have been made, the threat of AI seems to affect not so much our physical integrity but rather our social norms and the freedoms as citizens. In other words: We have to look closely into Dark AI applications and the potentially disastrous consequences they might have.

Therefore, it is evident that we have to ensure that many people have a voice and contribute when we discuss AI applications. Ultimately, we must inform ourselves about the critical aspects of AI and form an opinion on how it should be used. To do so, we should try to understand AI as a political and social ideology and not only as algorithms since we are users, beneficiaries, and in part, victims of this technological advancement. It is essential to know that in the wrong hands, AI is currently a more significant danger than science-fiction killer robots. Therefore, more has to be done to ensure inclusion, equality, and equity in developing such applications. This requires our attention and cooperation as citizens, as humans, and participants in the ecosystem we live in. We don’t have a choice in this matter: machine learning, deep learning, and all other aspects of AI are here, and they are here to stay.

So what will you do?
['The Unlikely Techie']
['Philosophy', 'Machine Learning', 'Future', 'AI', 'Technology']