Presentation1.pptx eepi engineering module 1

ethics

1. The Opportunities and Risks of AI for Society The impact of AI on society is undeniable. The debate now focuses on the nature of this impact—whether it will be positive or negative, and who will be affected. The key questions are not if AI will make an impact, but rather how, where, and when it will be felt. To address these questions, we outline four main opportunities that AI presents to society: Autonomous Self-Realisation:  AI can enhance individuals' ability to realize their potential, much like how past inventions have liberated people from mundane tasks, allowing more time for intellectual and cultural pursuits. Human Agency:  AI has the potential to expand what individuals can achieve, improving both personal and societal capabilities. Individual and Societal Capabilities:  AI can help people and societies reach new heights in what they can accomplish. Societal Cohesion:  AI can improve how we interact with one another and the world, promoting greater social cohesion. Each of these opportunities carries risks if AI is underused, overused, or misused. Misuse or excessive regulation could lead to missed benefits and significant opportunity costs. On the other hand, misuse could lead to intensified cyber threats and other malicious applications of AI.

2. Who We Can Become: Enabling Human Self-Realisation AI has the potential to enable self-realisation by allowing people to focus on their interests, skills, and aspirations, rather than mundane tasks. Like the washing machine transformed domestic work, AI can free up time for more enriching and rewarding activities. The challenge lies not in the obsolescence of old skills but in ensuring that AI’s advancements enhance human capabilities and don't undermine them.

3. What We Can Do: Enhancing Human Agency Without Removing Human Responsibility The Growth of AI and Its Impact on Human Agency AI provides a "smart agency" reservoir, enabling enhanced decision-making. Comparison to the transformative impact of engines on human life. Goal: Explore how AI can augment human intelligence without diminishing responsibility. Augmented Intelligence, Not Replacement AI helps humans do more, better, and faster. AI is a tool, like engines, that amplifies human capability. Focus on the  positive outcomes  of AI when combined with human intelligence.

4. The Importance of Responsibility Ensuring Responsible AI Development and Use Responsibility in AI development is  critical . Ethical use of AI: Sharing benefits widely and fairly. Example: AI in decision-making processes (e.g., autonomous vehicles, credit, and parole decisions). Risk: The "black box" mentality — systems are seen as beyond human understanding or control. Potential Dangers Risks of Irresponsible AI Use Absence of responsibility leads to negative consequences. Wrong socio-political frameworks or opaque AI systems may lead to harm. High-profile and everyday examples (e.g., autonomous vehicle accidents, automated decision systems).

5. What We Can Achieve: Increasing Societal Capabilities, Without Reducing Human Control Harnessing AI for Human and Societal Improvement The Power of AI in Shaping the Future AI offers significant opportunities to enhance individual and societal capabilities. The potential to reinvent society through AI technologies. The importance of balancing these benefits with responsible oversight. AI as a Tool for Progress AI supports advancements in fields like healthcare (preventing and curing diseases). Optimizing transportation and logistics through AI leads to increased efficiency. AI has the potential to radically enhance human abilities and create new possibilities for society. AI as a Tool for Progress AI supports advancements in fields like healthcare (preventing and curing diseases). Optimizing transportation and logistics through AI leads to increased efficiency. AI has the potential to radically enhance human abilities and create new possibilities for society .

6. AI and Collective Problem-Solving AI as a Catalyst for Collaboration and Innovation AI enables better coordination and more ambitious goals. Augmented human intelligence can solve both old and new problems (e.g., resource distribution, sustainability). AI can help drive a fairer, more efficient society by tackling global challenges. The Dangers of Over-Reliance on Autonomous Systems Risks of Delegating Too Much to AI Delegating too much decision-making to AI systems could lead to reduced human supervision and control. The risk of humans no longer being “in the loop” or “on the loop” in critical processes. Example: Autonomous systems handling important tasks without proper human oversight. Balancing Ambition with Responsibility AI offers immense opportunities, but it’s essential to retain human control. Ethical considerations in how we delegate tasks to AI systems. Importance of ensuring human involvement in critical decisions and monitoring AI’s performance.

7. How We Can Interact: Cultivating Societal Cohesion, Without Eroding Human Self-Determination Global Challenges and AI's Role in Addressing Coordination Complexity Global problems like climate change, antimicrobial resistance, nuclear proliferation, and fundamentalism require high degrees of coordination.AI can help address these complex problems through data-intensive and algorithm-driven solutions.Balancing AI’s power with ethical considerations is crucial for societal cohesion and human dignity. Global Challenges with High Coordination Complexity Climate change, nuclear proliferation, and other global issues need coordinated solutions from all stakeholders. Successful solutions must be co-designed and co-owned by global, national, and local actors. Coordination is increasingly difficult due to the complex, interdependent nature of these problem

8. AI’s Role in Tackling Coordination Complexity AI can support societal collaboration by managing and simplifying large-scale coordination. Example: Climate change response requires cooperation both within and between societies. AI-driven systems could facilitate a unified approach to cutting emissions or managing climate engineering. Societal Cohesion Through Algorithmic Systems AI can help design societal frameworks that encourage cohesive and environmentally conscious behaviors . Example: AI-based systems could cultivate cohesion by promoting behaviors aligned with emission reduction. Such systems are not imposed but stem from self-chosen societal and individual decisions (e.g., self-nudging).

9. The Concept of Self-Nudging Self-nudging involves voluntarily setting up systems or frameworks that guide individuals toward socially preferable behaviors . Example: Setting a diet or an alarm clock—AI systems can be designed to guide societal choices in similar ways. AI should enhance autonomy by supporting informed decision-making rather than imposing unwanted routines. Risks of AI in Eroding Human Autonomy Although AI can help facilitate societal cohesion, there are risks: AI systems might unintentionally cause shifts in human behavior to fit automation processes. The risk of AI reducing human self-determination if not carefully controlled. It's essential that AI enhances, not undermines, human dignity and flourishing.

10. Balancing AI’s Opportunities and Risks AI has the potential to: Facilitate coordination in tackling global challenges. Foster societal cohesion and collaboration. Promote human dignity if ethically designed. However, risks must be mitigated: Unintentional behavioral shifts. Erosion of human autonomy. Ethical concerns over AI’s influence on human decision-making. Ethical Engagement with AI for Dual Advantage Ethical AI can bring a “dual advantage” to organizations: Promotes societal and individual well-being. Creates trust and long-term benefits for businesses by being ethically accountable. AI technologies, when used ethically, can support human flourishing while minimizing risks. AI offers significant opportunities to tackle complex global challenges. Its use must be balanced with ethical considerations to protect human autonomy and dignity. A dual advantage emerges when AI promotes societal cohesion and human flourishing, benefiting both individuals and organizations.

11. Moving from Principles to Policies in AI Ethics AI4People  is not the first initiative to address AI’s ethical implications. Numerous organizations have already articulated values and principles for AI development and deployment. Moving Beyond Principles AI4People seeks to move the conversation  beyond a mere set of principles . The goal: To advance from ethical principles to  concrete policies ,  best practices , and  recommendations . This ensures that the dialogue remains constructive and avoids redundancy. Avoiding Redundancy AI4People does not aim to create  new ethical principles . Instead, it synthesizes  existing sets of principles  from reputable, multi-stakeholder organizations. The aim is to  build on existing work  and avoid repeating similar exercises.

12. The  scope and selection  of the principles synthesized are covered in detail by  Cowls and Floridi (Forthcoming) .Their work provides a  method of assessment  for the principles used in forming AI4People’s recommendations.The goal is to base recommendations on  well-established ethical foundations . Focus on Commonalities AI4People identifies  common themes  across the existing ethical principles, such as: Transparency . Accountability . Fairness . Human- centered AI . Noteworthy Differences While many principles align, there are  important differences  that influence policy recommendations: Variations in emphasis on  human rights  vs.  innovation . Different views on  regulatory approaches  vs.  industry self-regulation . Understanding these differences is key to crafting  tailored policies .