Replace you or help you?-Ethical issues with artificial intelligence
Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly impacted our lives. Every day, we encounter artificial intelligence at work. Some of the areas in which AI is used include email communications, online shopping experiences, digital assistants, web searching and even social media. For instance, Facebook has a feature in which it shows one ‘people you may know’. Often these are people we actually know offline or online and so Facebook just uses AI to enable us to connect with such people. AI is also at work when we are browsing the internet. It helps to improve our browsing experience by showing us relevant products and information based on our browsing history data and other data it has collected. AI is also the foundation of automation. Over the years, automation has taken centre stage, especially in the manufacturing industry and even in households where systems and equipment have been developed to replace human beings. Repetitive and manual jobs such as cleaning and packing products in warehouses and factories have been taken over by robots. Overall, AI considered on its own can be said to be a good thing as it has improved the quality of life for people. However, there are concerns about the ethical issues associated with AI. This article discusses these ethical issues using self-driving trucks as a case study.
Self-Driving Trucks
One of the accomplishments of AI is the development of self-driving trucks. These are automated trucks that deliver goods without the need for a driver. Traditionally, trucks needed a driver to deliver goods which meant that a truck could be driven by a driver or two based on the frequency of deliveries. However, the new self-driving trucks do not require human beings to be at the wheel for goods to be delivered. The self-driving trucks are fitted with different AI-based software and sensors that control and drive the trucks to their destination (Anderson et al., 2014). Currently, the technology is still being tested, so the trucks are not yet fully automated and so they still need a human driver to supervise the automated trucks. However, plans are in place to fully automate the trucks in future. When that happens, the human drivers will no longer be required to drive the trucks. This implies that there will be a loss of jobs. Experts have argued that the currently employed truck drivers are unlikely to lose their jobs as the process of automating the trucks is still in progress. This means that it is the future generation that will experience a loss of jobs as they will no longer have the opportunity to work as truck drivers. Stock (2022) says that it is likely that 90% of all long-distance trucking jobs will be taken over by self-driving trucks. This means that about 500K jobs in the US will be replaced by self-driving technology (Stock, 2022).
While self-driving trucks are seen as leading to job losses, in the actual sense, these trucks will also benefit society and businesses. Self-driving trucks are regarded as safer than human-driven trucks. This is because they are computer-controlled, and as such, incidents such as abrupt braking, driver distraction and driver fatigue are eliminated (Anderson et al., 2014). Businesses and truck owners will also be able to better predict the performance of the trucks, such as the time of goods delivery and increase in fuel efficiency (Anderson et al., 2014). Self-driving trucks also have less carbon emissions compared to human-driven trucks (Anderson et al., 2014).
Another thing is that for many years now, the trucking industry has been hit by a shortage of truck drivers. Many drivers especially do not like driving trucks long distances as it is considered to be tiring and does not pay well. Truck companies have thus been struggling to find long-haul truck drivers. The self-driving trucks designed to handle long-haul driving will thus help to solve this problem and ensure that goods reach their destination on time. This will benefit both businesses and society at large.
Based on the case study above, it is clear that AI is associated with ethical issues even though it is regarded as a good thing for society. The self-driving trucks are intended to help solve the problem of the shortage of truckers in the United States and other parts of the world. At the same time, these self-driving trucks are regarded as being safer, more fuel-efficient and more predictable. However, the potential loss of jobs is not something that can be overlooked. As a study conducted in 2017 showed, by 2030, driverless trucks will lead to the loss of approximately 50%-70% of truck driving jobs in both the United States and Europe (Kilcarr, 2017). This loss of jobs is a very problematic issue globally as a career provides a means of sustenance and is a source of self-esteem for many people. The loss of jobs thus leads to poor mental health for many people. Available research shows that automation and Artificial intelligence are associated with economic insecurity and instability (Canals & Heukamp, 2019). This is because automation leads to the loss of jobs, layoffs and pay cuts. Layoffs, in turn, have been associated with an increase in mortality (Canals & Heukamp, 2019). For instance, a study conducted in Sweden showed that men’s mortality risk rose by 44% in the four years after job loss (Eliason & Storrie, 2010). This link between job loss and an increase in mortality rate has also been reported in studies conducted in Denmark, Finland, the United States and even New Zealand (Canals & Heukamp, 2019). Apart from increased mortality, job loss is associated with increased poor health among those laid off (Strully, 2009). As such, it means that AI and especially when associated with the loss of jobs, increases the risk of mortality and poor health among people.
Other Ethical Issues
Apart from the loss of jobs, there are other ethical issues associated with AI. One of these inequalities is the distribution of wealth and income. For many countries, narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor is regarded as a good thing and efforts are made to uplift the lives of the lower class. Research studies show that automation technology has the opposite effect in that automation technology increases income inequality in society (Kelly, 2021). Indeed, a research study conducted in the United States showed that for the past 40 years, the primary driver of income inequality in the United States had been automation technology which has led to a decline in wages by between 50% and 70% (Kelly, 2021). This is because automation leads to wage declines among blue-collar workers as the blue-collar workers are either replaced or degraded, leading to a loss of income. Moreover, with job losses linked to automated technology, businesses get to save on labour costs which increases the income of business owners, increasing income inequality in society.
Another issue is that the loss of jobs associated with automation leads to a reduction in income tax. Employees pay taxes on their income, but robots do not pay income tax as they are not paid, and neither are they considered human beings. Taxes in society enable the government to provide services to the public, such as building roads and hospitals and subsidizing essential goods and services. This implies that with the loss of jobs, there will be increased unemployment and a government’s income decline. As a result, there will be a reduced quality of life for the members of society as the government cannot fulfil its responsibilities. Indeed, it has been proposed that robots pay taxes because, in a real sense, they replace human beings in the workplace (Acikgoz, 2022). However, this is yet to be implemented in many countries and remains just a proposal.
Another ethical issue associated with AI pertains to protecting AI systems from misuse. AI systems are robust and intelligent, making them beneficial in everyday lives. However, the AI systems’ power can be harnessed and channelled into harmful uses in the wrong hands. For instance, missiles fitted with AI systems can be fired toward a target with a high level of precision which can spark a war. Under normal circumstances, such a missile can be used to defend a country from attacks, but it would be considered unethical if used to attack others.
Another ethical concern regarding AI relates to artificial stupidity. AI systems undergo machine learning, whereby they are fed with data that enables them to act and predict outcomes on their own. The machines thus act based on the input fed to them. It is possible that sometimes the machines may make mistakes which means that they may not act as intended. A human being may be able to detect a problem and act, but a machine may fail to detect the problem. For instance, in the case of driverless trucks, a truck may misinterpret an obstacle on the road, but a human being may be able to interpret the obstacle.
Conclusion
In conclusion, AI has helped improve people’s online and offline experiences. In social media, AI helps social media users communicate with others and locate others. When browsing, AI improves peoples’ experiences by recommending products and through predictive searches, saving time. AI, at the moment, is integrated into people’s lives in many ways. However, even with all its benefits, it raises ethical concerns. One major concern associated with AI is the loss of jobs due to the automation of jobs. Automation of jobs leads to loss of jobs, downgrade in jobs and even pay cuts. Currently, plans are underway to fully automate long-distance trucks, a move that is expected to lead to a massive loss of jobs in future. This is expected to negatively impact society as robots and automated machines do not pay income tax, which implies a loss of income for the government. Secondly, when people lose their jobs, their health becomes poor, and their risk of mortality increases significantly due to poor mental and physical health. Other ethical issues associated with AI include protecting AI systems so that they are not used in a harmful way, guarding against artificial stupidity, and preventing an increase in income inequality, which is usually associated with automation.
References
Acikgoz, B. (2022). Pandemnomics. Springer Nature
Anderson, J.M., Nidhi, K., Stanley, K.D., Sorensen, P., Samaras, C., & Oluwatola, O.A. (2014). Autonomous vehicle technology: A guide for policymakers. Rand Corporation.
Canals, J. & Heukamp, F. (2019). The future of management in an AI world: Redefining purpose and strategy in the fourth industrial revolution. Springer Nature
Eliason, M. & Storrie, D. (2010). Job loss is bad for your health. Swedish evidence on cause-specific hospitalisation following involuntary job loss. Social Science and Medicine, 68(8), 1396-1406.
Kelly, J. (2021). Artificial Intelligence Has Caused A 50% To 70% Decrease In Wages—Creating Income Inequality And Threatening Millions Of Jobs. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/06/18/artificial-intelligence-has-caused–50-to-70-decrease-in-wages-creating-income-inequality-and-threatening-millions-of-jobs/?sh=70215d210091
Kilcarr, S. (2017). Report: Driverless trucks will eliminate millions of jobs. https://www.fleetowner.com/technology/article/21696130/report-driverless-trucks-will-eliminate-millions-of-jobs
Stock, K. (2022, March 19). Robot Truckers Could Replace 500K U.S. Jobs. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-19/self-driving-trucks-could-replace-90-of-long-haul-jobs
Strully, K.W. (2009). Job loss and health in the U.S. labour market. Demography, 46(2), 221-246.