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In 2002, I waited over ten minutes to download a single song using a 56k dial-up modem. Audio cassettes were still very much in vogue. Fast forward to 2022, and one can now instruct their phone or car to play their favorite songs with their voice. We can automatically log in to our favorite music streaming service and it shows us the music and artists that might fit depending on the mood, the time or the occasion. One can automate almost all the electrical systems in their home to work on their schedule (remind them to run errands, turn on lights when they come in, etc).
In a relatively short span of two decades, we have moved from waiting for technology to respond to machines and systems waiting for our next command. Whether we like it or are even aware, artificial intelligence and automation are already playing an important role in our lives.
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AI is in its early stages
Technology is slowly approaching a level of intelligence that can anticipate our needs. We are in the golden age of AI, and yet we are just beginning to see its uses. The next steps move from a routine to a more in-depth, abstract process. For example, if you have a habit of drinking coffee every morning, it’s easy for an AI to learn your routine. But right now, it can’t even begin to approach what you’re thinking about while drinking your coffee. The next step in the evolution of AI could be your Google Home or Amazon Alexa, knowing you’re about to start your day and hand you your schedule unsolicited.
AI is starting to shift from performing repetitive tasks to higher-order decision making. We are just beginning to see the possibilities of AI. In the next five to ten years, AI will likely impact every part of our lives. While we’re more than happy to make AI work for us, what happens when we outsource complex thought and decision-making? Our ability to make decisions is based on our capacity for awareness, empathy, and the ability to take a moral stand. If we let machines think for us, are we also burdening them with the complex web of human morality?
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Who decides which morality is right?
Mimicking human decision making is not just a matter of logic or technology. Through the ages of human civilization, we have developed truly complex moral codes and ethics. These are informed as much by societal norms as education, culture and, to a large extent, religion. The problem is that morality remains a vague concept with no agreed universals.
What is considered moral in one society or religion may go to the heart of everything in another. The answer may vary depending on the context and who is making the decision. If we can barely balance our cognitive bias, how can we chart a path for machines to avoid data bias? There is mounting evidence that some of our technologies are just as flawed as we are. Facial recognition systems and digital assistants show signs of discrimination against women and people of color.
The most likely scenario is that AI follows the prescribed morality rules per defined groups or societies. Imagine buying a basic code of ethics and upgrading it with morality packs depending on your inclinations. If you are a Christian, the morality pack will follow the standard Christian code of ethics (or as close as possible). In this hypothetical scenario, we still have control over the moral principles that the machine will follow. The problem arises when that decision is made by someone else. Just imagine the implications of an authoritarian government applying its version of morality to ruthlessly controlled citizens. The debate over who could make such a call would have far-reaching consequences.
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What can a moral AI mean for the future?
The applications of a moral AI can defy belief. For example, instead of the current version of overcrowded prisons, AI could make rehabilitation of criminals a real possibility. Would we dare dream of a future where we can rewrite the morals of criminals with a chip and prevent murders? Will it be a blessing to society or an ethical nightmare? Could it mirror the movie “The Last Days of American Crime”? Even small applications such as integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) systems on wearables to optimize nutrition and lifestyle can have a long-term impact on our society and well-being.
As complicated as morality in AI is, it pays to remember that humans are a tenacious race. We tend to do a lot of things wrong in the first version. As Shakespeare put it, “find a way through indirect directions.” In other words, we tend to stick with the problem.
Nearly all of our current technological advancements seemed impossible at one point in history. It will probably take us decades of trial and error, but we have already started the initial design with projects like Delphi. Even a first iteration of an AI trying to be ethically informed, socially circumspect, and culturally inclusive gives us reason for hope. Perhaps technology can finally point us to that treasure map that promises an idyllic moral future that we have dreamed of together for centuries.
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