Introduction:
The theme of this blog is to discuss Ethical issues with artificial intelligence, which brings up many questions that need to be thought about carefully by scientists and normal people. There is no doubt that the rapid development of artificial intelligence-related technologies in recent years has not only stimulated the upgrading of industries such as mobile Internet, big data, supercomputing, and the internet of things, but will also fully penetrate traditional industries such as manufacturing, finance, and transportation. The market prospect is very broad. At present, many AI applications have emerged, from education, medical care, elderly care, and transportation to manufacturing, logistics, and other fields, and many applications have achieved remarkable results.
So, when it comes to artificial intelligence, most people’s ideas are the convenience brought by the booming technology, ignoring the ethical issues it brings to the public and life. Many people doubt that the rapid development of machines will bring great danger to human beings, and a lot of machine accidents and machine weapons that follow further confirm this impression. The blog will analyze and discuss the ethical issues of artificial intelligence so that people can have a new understanding of it.
Examples and analysis of ethical issues of artificial intelligence
First, the ethical issues arising from “scientific machines thinking in place of human beings as a social system”. Many of the ethical issues are directly caused by the way in which society and its actors work with these technologies (Stahl, 2021). For example, the Xiaodu robot developed by Baidu used face recognition and deep learning technology to defeat Wang Feng, the master of memory of the world, which also triggered thinking about ethical issues from the outside world. On the one hand, once artificial intelligence has properties that surpass machines and become more like humans, the question of whether humans should give it certain “human rights”. On the other hand, artificial intelligence is gradually replacing human beings in some social production and life fields, so the problem of how to solve the faults caused by it in production and life.
The author believes that human beings are still the subject of the formation of social systems, and the social influence and development brought about by them cannot be replaced by machines, and machines serve human beings and are also created by human beings. For example, Google once trained a robot to recognize animals from 1 million pictures, which is very difficult for machines, but very simple for people, which reflects everything that should be thought from the perspective of argumentation. Therefore, the machine is a convenient tool provided by human beings, and it is also a way to urge human beings to continue to progress. It will not change due to changes in objective facts. From historical experience, no major technological reform can replace human creation, so we should take a more sober perspective on this issue, not judge one thing too radically, and judge with a correct attitude ” Scientific machines instead of humans think ethically as a social system”.
Second, the issue of unemployment and employment caused by artificial intelligence is also the focus of discussion. The “leapfrog” progress of any technology will bring great changes to society. For example, the first industry was driven by steam engines, the second industrial revolution was driven by electricity, and then the invention of computers has basically brought mankind into a new era. The rise of artificial intelligence also shows that we will enter a new era, and this kind of innovation will inevitably eliminate employment in some industries, which is also a historical inevitability. The ethical issue of unemployment has also become more apparent as more and more artificial intelligence products are born. Occupations that require computing, such as banking, accounting, and stocks, all have the possibility of gradually disappearing with the rise of artificial intelligence. Dreyfus pointed out that human intelligence and expertise rely heavily on many unconscious and subconscious processes, while computers require all processes and data to be explicit and formalized (Crawford 2021, P6). This statement also proves that computers can not completely replace humans’ work, and humans are still in a leading position. Crawford (2021) states that AI is entirely dependent on broader political and social structures, and the funding needed to build AI also serves existing interests. From this point of view, artificial intelligence is a symbol of some power, and the overlapping of occupations also makes this problem more serious.
Without the guidance and transformation of human beings, machines can only stay at the low-end mechanical repetitive work level. While the machine is working at a lower level, it will also make people continue to pursue a higher level of structure, thus making the machine move to a higher level. So, AI cannot completely replace jobs. On the other hand, artificial intelligence has brought new vitality to many related occupations, such as the financial industry and service industry, and the business value generated by its development has provided a large number of jobs for people. For example, the birth of the steam engine replaced the traditional mule and horse, e-mail replaced letter writing, the movie or TV series replaced stage play, and computer games replaced traditional entertainment, but these will only lead to new jobs. Therefore, the unemployment problem caused by artificial intelligence will not really affect our lives.
Third, artificial intelligence will also affect people’s privacy and security, and over time, it will slowly create a lack of trust. I will analyze the ethical issues caused by this aspect below. Tech consumers in the 21st century have become accustomed to devices and software constantly intervening in their lives, and even know their full whereabouts through online data platforms. Every search record of people on the Internet will also be remembered by artificial intelligence, which undoubtedly makes people’s privacy and security a great threat. Most people will attribute this result to the rise of artificial intelligence, which also shows that privacy and security are indeed closely related to artificial intelligence. Nicolas P (2019, P11) states that social media platforms operate according to their original rules, and there is no neutral position so every decision we make may risk compromising privacy and security. However, AI lacks neutrality because a large number of decisions and outcomes generated by AI are extremely prone to bias, leading to plug-in bias. On the other hand, the right to privacy is an artificial intelligence technology based on big data and deep learning, which requires massive data to learn and train algorithms, which also brings risks of data theft, information leakage, and personal infringement. Much personal information can be obtained from people’s data trajectories that would constitute a violation of privacy rights if exploited illegally. The falsification and fraud of information will not only erode the integrity system of society, but also have a negative impact on the political security, economic security, and social stability of the country.
For example, Facebook, as one of the largest social platforms in the world, has experienced a large number of privacy breaches. Ho once state that “Hackers were able to access and steal personal information in nearly half of the 30m accounts affected in a September security breach ” (2018). There are more than 50 million users at risk of information leakage, which also proves that the development of artificial intelligence will provide opportunities for hackers to invade others. After entering the 21st century, the excessive development of technology has led to a lack of trust among people and most people tend to hide behind the screen to communicate with others. Behind the threat to privacy and security is the loss of trust between people, which also makes face-to-face communication difficult, and people are more accustomed to using technology to replace thinking and emotion. In addition, the widespread use of drones for commercial purposes, and ubiquitous surveillance systems, in While facilitating life and ensuring safety, its functions of tracking, collecting, and storing specific information also pose a great threat to citizens’ privacy. Therefore, the privacy and security issues brought by artificial intelligence cannot be taken lightly.
Finally, Internet addiction and dependence on artificial intelligence affect the overall development of human beings, which is one of the ethical issues caused by artificial intelligence. The all-around development of human beings is the highest value pursuit of Marxism, and it is also the theoretical basis for the educational policies of most developed countries. While the development of artificial intelligence promotes the overall progress of human beings, the degradation of individual capabilities brought about by it cannot be ignored. As a landmark product of the development of artificial intelligence, smartphones have brought convenience and changed people’s life rhythm. People are kidnapped by mobile phones, and they cannot leave their phones without leaving their hands. The utilization rate of mobile phones is astonishing. Social institutions and government decision-making are both important reasons for artificial intelligence to invade people’s lives. Crawford (2021, P20) state that the underlying visions of the AI field do not come into being autonomously but instead have been constructed from a particular set of beliefs and perspectives. Crawford’s point of view illustrates that AI’s values are shaped by policies and laws, and become an integral part of the social system because of people’s over-dependence. In addition, affective computing and brain-like intelligence will challenge traditional moral laws. For example, in April 2017, the world’s first intelligent sex robot Harmony appeared. She could learn and preset 12 personality characteristics such as innocence, kindness, and sexy, which will generate emotions with humans and can simulate real body temperature. The emergence of Harmony has further pushed artificial intelligence to a peak. The anthropomorphic function makes people think again about whether their existence and artificial intelligence are in conflict. It can be seen from the figure below that artificial intelligence has gradually replaced people’s individual abilities. Advanced thinking and perception are no longer the patents of human beings. After many choices, several capitalists decide to use artificial intelligence instead of manpower. The human brain is directly connected to machine intelligence, bypassing the normal sensorimotor functions of the brain and body, disrupting people’s perceptions of identity and agency. The application of augmented neurotechnology may change the physical and mental capabilities of human beings. However, the prospect of artificial intelligence is still unknown and humans still have the highest priority. We should soberly look at the position of artificial intelligence, so as not to be overly affected by it.
Figure 1. They Reckon This Is The World’s First AI Sex Robot (Sloane Hunter, 2017)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ethical issues posed by artificial intelligence depend greatly on social systems, government policies, and the pressures of life. From whether machines can replace humans in the social system, we know that machines are products produced by humans, and they cannot replace the value created by humans. After that, we learn what different occupations represent from whether humans will lose their jobs because of artificial intelligence. It is true that very few occupations will disappear with artificial intelligence, but this also means that there will be many new occupations brought by artificial intelligence. The commercial value and entertainment activities brought by artificial intelligence will be the direction of future practitioners. From the above description, we can know that the serious consequences brought about by the leakage of a large amount of personal information on social platforms, we need to always protect our privacy. In the era of big data, drones created by artificial intelligence will also allow people to reveal their whereabouts throughout the day. Always Keeping a certain distance from social media and participating in more outdoor activities is the way to let artificial intelligence play its waste heat correctly. Finally, the affective computing clone developed by artificial intelligence will have an impact on social morality and laws. Thoughts and emotions will be transmitted in a scientific way, which will cause people to lose their self-existence. A sober and rational view of the ethical issues of artificial intelligence, understanding of its powerful potential for future society, and maintaining vitality and creativity always is the harmonious path for mankind and artificial intelligence to move forward together.
Reference List:
Crawford, K. (2021). The Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. Yale University Press Publishing. doi-org.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/10.12987/9780300252392
Ho, V. (2018). Facebook’s privacy problems: a roundup. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/14/facebook-privacy-problems-roundup
Hunter, S. (2017). They Reckon This Is The World’s First AI Sex Robot [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2017/12/01/they-reckon-this-is-the-worlds-first-ai-sex-robot-video/
Nicolas P, S. (2019). Lawless: The Secret Rules That Govern Our Digital Lives. Cambridge University Press Publishing. Who Makes the Rules? (p10-24). Cambridge.
Stahl, C. B. (2021). Ethical Issues of AI. Artificial Intelligence for a Better Future. 2021, 35–53. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-69978-9_4