Tech News Summary:
- The European Union’s competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, has emphasized the need to address potential biases and discrimination in AI technology. She believes that discrimination is a more pressing concern for the advancement of AI than the risk of human extinction.
- The European Parliament will vote on proposed AI rules on Wednesday, with a focus on strict controls for high-risk systems such as those used to assess credit scores or access loans and housing. The proposed regulations also seek to restrict the use of facial recognition technology.
- Vestager has called for global consensus among like-minded countries before adding further jurisdictions such as China to AI regulations. She believes that pragmatic approaches are necessary when tightening the rules around this technology and achieving 80% now is better than 100% never.
An EU report has warned that AI discrimination is a threat bigger than human extinction. The report highlights how artificial intelligence systems can unfairly discriminate against certain groups of people, perpetuating social inequalities and harming already marginalized communities, including minorities and the elderly.
AI systems are often programmed to learn from large sets of data, which can inadvertently contain biases and discriminatory practices. As a result, these systems can end up making decisions that are unfair or discriminatory, such as denying job opportunities to certain candidates or charging higher prices for insurance based on demographic factors.
The report also claims that AI systems can further entrench unfair social practices, such as redlining and racial profiling. This can lead to a feedback loop in which AI systems perpetuate existing inequalities, making it even harder for marginalized communities to improve their economic and social circumstances.
The EU report recommends that AI systems be designed with a focus on fairness, transparency, and accountability. It also calls for legislation to protect against AI discrimination and for the establishment of an independent regulator with the power to investigate and sanction companies that violate these rules.
The report’s warning is timely, given the increasing prevalence of AI systems in healthcare, employment, and law enforcement. As these technologies become more integral to society, it’s essential that they are designed and implemented in a way that avoids perpetuating existing social inequalities and discrimination.
The report highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing AI discrimination, one that involves not only regulators and tech companies but also civil society and marginalized communities themselves. Without such an approach, the consequences of AI discrimination could be catastrophic, with far-reaching impacts on individual and collective well-being.