A Skeptic’s Guide to Thinking About AI
From marketing hype to fuzzy ethics
By Katharine Schwab
This week, at the research institute AI Now‘s annual symposium, experts debated some of the most critical issues in society through the lens of AI. The event brought together law and politics professors, lawyers, advocates, and writers to discuss how we as a community can ensure that the technology doesn’t destabilize justice and equity.
For the audience, the discussions offered a compelling introduction to the false claims and ethical dilemmas that surround AI right now. It was a valuable primer for anyone, from designers who are starting to work with machine learning to users who simply have questions about the way their data is being used in society.
Here are four insights about how all of us–from developers to designers to users alike–can see more clearly through the hype. They cast a skeptical eye on the AI’s true abilities, its efficiency-oriented value systems, and the way technology companies are approaching ethics.
AI Is Not Neutral
Virginia Eubanks, associate professor of political science at SUNY Albany, studies how algorithms impact the way welfare is distributed in the U.S. for those living below the poverty line. In her book Automating Inequality…
