The rapid competitive economy of machine learning development: a discussion on the social risks and benefits

Abstract

Research in artificial intelligence (AI) has started in the twentieth century but it was not until 2012 that modern models of artificial neural networks aided the machine learning process considerably so that in the past ten years, both computer vision as well as natural language processing have become increasingly better. AI developments have accelerated rapidly, leaving open questions about the potential benefits and risks of these dynamics and how the latter might be managed. This paper discusses three major risks, all lying in the domain of AI safety engineering: the problem of AI alignment, the problem of AI abuse, and the problem of information control. The discussion goes through a short history of AI development, briefly touching on the benefits and risks, and eventually making the case that the risks might potentially be mitigated through strong collaborations and awareness concerning trustworthy AI. Implications for the (digital) humanities are discussed.

Managing the race to the moon: Global policy and governance in Artificial Intelligence regulation—A contemporary overview and an analysis of socioeconomic consequences

“…A previous treatment of the rapid economic dynamics of AI development provides the basis for the present discussion (for this, see [156]). It emphasizes the accelerated pace of AI development, driven by the quest for technological superiority among leading organizations.…”

“…As is claimed in the respective paper, for an AI system to be deemed trustworthy, it must meet specific requirements, including [156]:…”

“…It can either lead our societies into an age of abundance and automated labor coupled with human ingenuity and creativity, or it can lead us to a place where computers make our lives difficult in terms of finding jobs, differentiating what is true or false, and having stable democracies. This also leads to the question of ethics in the commercialization of AI and how healthy it is to participate in what many commentators would call the 'AI wars' , which generally refers to the economic idea that companies want to outpace their competitors and thus would not prioritize AI safety enough [156].…”