Artificial Intelligence Will Suffer From Bias In The Same Way Humans Do
Artificial intelligence is often touted as the technology that will eventually reduce human error to zero. And why not? After all, this technology is capable of Moreover, this technology will be capable of taking over mundane tasks, allowing the human brain to be used for other important duties.
However, contrary to popular belief, artificial intelligence can be affected by bias– a rather troublesome aspect to think about, and one that definitely should not be overlooked.
Artificial Intelligence Bias Is A Real Thing
Even though the concept of artificial intelligence is in early stages of development there is a lot of concern amongst the experts about the possible pitfalls that this technology brings along to the table. However, that does not mean that AI has no bright future ahead.
It is important to take these concerns into consideration, though, as they will change the way we think of AI in general. AI relies on the data it is fed and it is right to say that it can is molded by the data it is fed just like correct nutrition helps our body develop in the right way. Now imagine what if the data fed in is biased already? The technology will automatically assume things are correct! Getting off on the wrong foot is never a good start, and even though AI is capable of learning, some hand holding will be involved during the early stages of deployment.
The way we interact and interface with artificial intelligence will help in the learning process. Interaction is a critical part of evolving AI into a better solution, but even interaction can form a sense of bias. The Tay AI project launched by Microsoft is a great example, as its interaction with the real world turned a straightforward “program” into a very racist communication tool.
But perhaps the biggest threat to artificial intelligence is how it will be affected by human bias in general. Developing an intelligent cognitive system is one thing, but making it objective is rather difficult. As people are involved in the development of these new tools, there will undoubtedly be some form of bias involved.
Developers have particular preferences, mannerisms, and manners of communication. Those traits will reflect on the AI itself, although they may be phased out over the course of several years.
It is evident that artificial intelligence will have a very bright future, but it will need to go through several iterations before it can be looked at as a completely separate entity. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as letting these creations loose upon the world without proper guidance could have catastrophic effects. Bias will be bias, an area in which humans and AI are not all that different.
