Artificial intelligence (AI) should be treated with the same scrutiny as medication and warn users about potential “undesirable side effects”, according to an AI ethics expert.
Maria Luciana Axente, PwC UK’s Responsible AI and AI for Good lead, made the statement during a discussion on the second day of the newly-launched AI Festival, adding that data scientists should respond to an ethical code just like medical practitioners.
When quizzed by BT's head of AI and Data Science Research, Detlef Nauck, about whether she thinks AI systems should be regulated like medicines that come “with a description of undesirable side effects”, Axente replied: “Of course, no doubt about it.”
"We have to move in that direction,” she said. “Because we started using AI in so many different domains of life that have a significant impact on people's lives.”
However, Axente added that, although she has heard arguments for creating an agency that would regulate the use of AI in a similar way to how the US Food and Drug Administration aims to protect public health, she believes that it might be worth focusing on existing institutions.
“Let's see what we can be doing on this part of the pond, and how can we leverage some of the institutions we already have, rather than creating new ones – but they will have to go in that direction, especially for high-risk application [of AI],” she said.
RELATED RESOURCE
Six reasons to accelerate remote asset monitoring with AI
How to optimise resources, increase productivity, and grow profit margins with AI
She referenced the European Commission’s plans to revise EU laws on the use of AI, with new regulations “set to come in April”.
“I think [they] will allow us to at least separate the use cases that need more attention and more governance from the ones that we can be a little bit more relaxed,” she said.
Axente’s comments come as Facebook’s head of hardware confirmed that the tech giant is considering using facial recognition technology for its upcoming smart glasses, which are set to be released later this year.
Facial recognition has been the subject of a petition launched last week by a coalition of privacy advocates, who are pressuring EU regulators to take advantage of its upcoming revision of AI laws and ban the use of biometric mass surveillance tools.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
AI projects are faltering as CDOs grapple with poor data qualityNews Chief data officers say they can't maintain consistent data quality, and that it's affecting AI outcomes
-
Taking back control of the data silos holding your business backTutorials Data silos can contain conflicting information, leading to misguided strategies and poor decision making
-
How the role of the chief data officer (CDO) will evolve in 2023In-depth The best CDOs will not only focus on creating more value from data but transmit data skills across the whole enterprise
-
Record computing degree applications driven by AI interest, says BCSNews The institute suggested students are attracted to computer sciences by innovative areas, which also include machine learning and the fight against climate change
-
Data science vs data analytics: Which field is right for you?In-depth A career as a data analyst or a data scientist can be as rewarding as it is lucrative, but it pays to understand the subtle differences between the two
-
SoftBank under pressure over links with 'blacklisted' Chinese facial recognition firmNews A subsidiary of the Japanese tech giant that conducts business with Mastercard and Visa relies on tech by the sanctioned SenseTime
-
Anaconda acquires PythonAnywhere in a bid to improve Python accessibilityNews Expanded Python capabilities will help unite teams and create access to more robust cloud resources, provider says
-
India backtracks on biometric ID system warningNews Despite alerting citizens to problems with the system, it has now withdrawn the warning two days after its publication
