Artificial intelligence is often touted as the technology that will eventually reduce human error to zero. Moreover, this technology will be capable of taking over mundane tasks, allowing the human brain to be used for other important duties. But unlike what most people assume, artificial intelligence can be affected by bias– a rather troublesome aspect to think about, and one that should not be overlooked.
Artificial Intelligence Bias Is A Real Thing
Even though the concept of artificial intelligence is still in its infancy stages, experts are already warning about the possible pitfalls. It is good to know that people are not hesitant in pointing out flaws, particularly for a technology that is being hyped more than anything. These drawbacks, however, do not mean that AI has no bright future ahead.
It is important to take these bias concerns into consideration, though, as they will change the way we think of AI in general. In most cases, artificial intelligence will rely on the amount of data it is being fed, but if that data 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.
While it remains to be seen if these artificial intelligence solutions will mimic their creators, it is not a possibility that should be overlooked. 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.
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