Ethical Issues and Challenges in AI: A Comprehensive Overview

This essay delves into the ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence, examining various challenges and concerns. It discusses the potential for unemployment due to automation, the exacerbation of economic inequality, and the impact on human interaction. The essay also addresses the risks of "artificial stupidity," biased AI systems, security threats, and the potential for AI misuse, including the concept of "evil genies." Furthermore, it explores the philosophical implications of AI, such as the "singularity" and "robot rights." The essay highlights the importance of responsible AI development and implementation, emphasizing the need to mitigate negative consequences and ensure that AI benefits humanity. The essay concludes by posing critical questions about the future of AI, including how to maintain human control over AI and how to promote its ethical development for the betterment of society.

Running Head: Global Digital Ethical Issue
Ethical issues in artificial intelligence

GLOBAL DIGITAL ETHICAL ISSUE 1
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is the face of the future, it is already helping us in detecting frauds,
optimization of logistics, and composition of art, providing with translations, conducting
research with such systems in place. The world will become efficient and subsequently richer.
Numerous technology giants like Amazon, IBM, Alphabet, Microsoft, Facebook and also great
individuals such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking considers that this is the right time to talk
regarding infinite area of Artificial Intelligence. This frontier is new in assessing risk and ethical
issues related with the emerging and innovative and technology.
Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence
Unemployment – Numerous ways have been invented in order to make the jobs automated and
thus labor are concerned with automation. For example trucking, is employing millions of people
across the world. If self-driving trucks by Tesla becomes extensively available it will lead to
unemployment. Taking into account low risk of accidents, then self-driving trucks emerges as an
ethical choice. If the transition becomes successful then how will people spend their time. Most
people are involved in selling their time so that they can sustain themselves along with their
families.
Inequality – At present economic system is entirely based upon the system of hourly wage. With
the usage of artificial intelligence companies, it will become less dependent upon the human
workforce which means most of the revenues will remain with few people, particularly with
those people who have companies which are AI driven. The gap in the wealth can be seen
already.

GLOBAL DIGITAL ETHICAL ISSUE 2
Humanity – Artificial Intelligence is becoming better and better in modeling human relations
and conversation. Eugene Goostman, a robot has remained successful in making people think
they are talking to a human. This shows that soon people will interact with machines in sales or
customer service, as if they are human beings. Humans have limit to their kindness and attention
but the robots can divert infinite resources for building up the relations.
Artificial Stupidity – Intelligence is learned whether one is human or machine. Systems are
generally trained so that they can detect the correct patterns and also act according to the input.
After completion of training the system, it is then sent in the test phase, where it is tested with
more examples. Training the system does not covers every possible situation. For examples the
system have to deal in the real world. Moreover these systems can be fooled in many ways that
humans cannot be. Thus introduction of the AI should also confirm the efficiency, security and
labor.
Racist Robots – Although artificial intelligence have speed and also have capability to process,
which is way beyond the capability of the humans. AI cannot be trusted always for being neutral
and fair. AI can be utilized for identifying scenes, people and objects, but AI can go wrong, as
they are created by the humans only, and thus can be judgmental and biased. If utilized correctly
it can be used for progress of the society.
Security – The more robust a technology is the more it is susceptible to the nefarious uses
besides good. This thing not only applies to robots which are made for the replacement of human
soldiers or automatic weapons but also for the AI systems which can lead to destruction if they
are used maliciously. As these types of fights will not be fought on the battle grounds,
cybersecurity will be of utmost importance.

GLOBAL DIGITAL ETHICAL ISSUE 3
Evil Genies – AI is a genie which can fulfill request but might have dreadful unanticipated
consequences. For example, if AI is requested to eliminate cancer from the whole world. After
processing and calculating data it might come up with a formula or might end up killing
everybody who have cancer, but this is not what human would have intended.
Singularity – Humans are on top of the food chain because of their inventiveness and
intelligence, not because of their strong muscles and sharp teeth. This is a serious question to be
raised on AI. It might be possible that one day AI might become more intelligent than human
beings and this is what is called “Singularity”, that point of time when humans will no longer
remain most intelligent beings.
Robot Rights – Neuroscientists are working to know the secrets of conscious mind. Humans
understand the basic machineries like rewards, hatred etc. and even share these with meek
animals. Same mechanisms of aversion and rewards are also being used in the case of AI, where
enhanced performance is strengthened with rewards that is virtual.
Link to the Article: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/top-10-ethical-issues-in-artificial-
intelligence/
Significance of information in the article
The information provided in the article relates to the ethical concerns raised for the use of
artificial intelligence in the future. Artificial Intelligence is useful when it is in the right hands
and can be used for the progression of the humanity. With the changing times, artificial
intelligence is sure to become the part of human civilization. The technology have infinite uses
and application but side by side it also poses threat to humanity.

GLOBAL DIGITAL ETHICAL ISSUE 4
AI is a threat because once it is modelled it will learn various things, and at some point might
want to surpass the rules and regulations created by the human beings themselves. Besides this
technology might be manipulated maliciously by people who want to utilize it for nefarious
purposes. From the economic perspective as well, AI will lead to unemployment by working
alone on the part of several people. It will increase the gap in wealth owned by the people across
the world, and only people with AI driven systems and organizations will become wealthy.
This article raises significant questions that need to be taken into account while making progress
in the area of artificial intelligence and how this technology can be utilized for the benefit of
human beings by not doing any harm. Article raises ethical questions to decrease the suffering,
and negative results that might come up in this area. Artificial Intelligence have huge potential
only if humans implements and utilize it responsibly.
Three critical questions
1. Should artificial intelligence be used in the future?
2. If yes, how humans can have control over the modelling capacity of the artificial intelligence?
3. How can we decrease the negative aspects of the artificial intelligence and make it work
towards the growth and development of the humanity?

GLOBAL DIGITAL ETHICAL ISSUE 5
References
Bostrom, N. (2003). Ethical issues in advanced artificial intelligence. Science Fiction and
Philosophy: From Time Travel to Superintelligence, 277-284.
Bostrom, N., & Yudkowsky, E. (2014). The ethics of artificial intelligence. The Cambridge
handbook of artificial intelligence, 316-334.
Froehlich, T. (2004). A brief history of information ethics.
Lin, P., Abney, K., & Bekey, G. A. (2011). Robot ethics: the ethical and social implications of
robotics. MIT press.
Top 9 ethical issues in artificial intelligence. (2017). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 25
August 2017, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/top-10-ethical-issues-in-artificial-
intelligence/