Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence :

Artificial intelligence is a technology that is already impacting how users interact with and are affected by the Internet. In the near future, its impact is likely to only continue to grow. AI has the potential to vastly change the way that humans interact, not only with the digital world but also with each other, through their work and through other socioeconomic institutions – for better or for worse.

If we are to ensure that the impact of artificial intelligence will be positive, it will be essential that all stakeholders participate in the debates surrounding AI.

If more stakeholders bring their points of view and expertise to the discussions surrounding AI, we are confident that its challenges can be addressed and the vast benefits the technology offers can be realized.

Executive Summary

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly advancing technology, made possible by the Internet, that may soon have significant impacts on our everyday lives. AI traditionally refers to an artificial creation of human-like intelligence that can learn, reason, plan, perceive, or process natural language. These traits allow AI to bring immense socioeconomic opportunities, while also posing ethical and socio-economic challenges.

  AI is an Internet-enabled technology, the Internet Society recognizes that understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with AI is critical to developing an Internet that people can trust.

This policy paper offers a look at key considerations regarding AI, including a set of guiding principles and recommendations to help those involved in policy-making make sound decisions. Of specific focus are machine learning, a particular approach to AI, and the driving force behind recent developments. Instead of programming the computer every step of the way, machine learning makes use of learning algorithms that make inferences from data to learn new tasks.

As machine learning is used more often in products and services, there are some significant considerations when it comes to users’ trust in the Internet. Several issues must be considered when addressing AI, including, socio-economic impacts; issues of transparency, bias, and accountability; new uses for data, considerations of security and safety, ethical issues; and, how AI facilitates the creation of new ecosystems.

At the same time, in this complex field, there are specific challenges facing AI, which include: a lack of transparency and interpretability in decision-making; issues of data quality and potential bias; safety and security implications; considerations regarding accountability; and, its potentially disruptive impacts on social and economic structures.

In evaluating the different considerations and understanding the various challenges, the Internet Society has developed a set of principles and recommendations in reference to what we believe are the core abilities that underpin the value the Internet provides.

While the deployment of AI in Internet-based services is not new, the current trend points to AI as an increasingly important factor in the Internet’s future development and use. As such, these guiding principles and recommendations are a first attempt to guide the debate going forward. They include ethical considerations in deployment and design; ensuring the “Interpretability” of AI systems; empowering the consumer; responsibility in the deployment of AI systems; ensuring accountability; and, creating a social and economic environment that is formed through open participation of different stakeholders.

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) has received increased attention in recent years. Innovation, made possible through the Internet, has brought AI closer to our everyday lives. These advances, alongside an interest in the technology’s potential socio-economic and ethical impacts, bring AI to the forefront of many contemporary debates. Industry investments in AI are rapidly increasing, and governments are trying to understand what the technology could mean for their citizens. 

The collection of “Big Data” and the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), has made a perfect environment for new AI applications and services to grow. Applications based on AI are already visible in healthcare diagnostics, targeted treatment, transportation, public safety, service robots, education, and entertainment, but will be applied in more fields in the coming years. Together with the Internet, AI changes the way we experience the world and has the potential to be a new engine for economic growth.

The Internet Society recognizes that understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with AI is critical to developing an Internet that people trust. This is particularly important as the Internet is key for the technology behind AI and is the main platform for its deployment; including significant new means of interacting with the network. This policy paper offers a look at the key things to think about when it comes to AI, including a set of guiding principles and recommendations to help make sound policy decisions. Of particular focus are machine learning, a specific approach to AI and the driving force behind recent developments.

Artificial Intelligence – What it’s all about

Artificial intelligence (AI) traditionally refers to an artificial creation of human-like intelligence that can learn, reason, plan, perceive, or process natural language. 

Artificial intelligence is further defined as “narrow AI” or “general AI”. Narrow AI, which we interact with today, is designed to perform specific tasks within a domain (e.g. language translation). General AI is hypothetical and not domain-specific, but can learn and perform tasks anywhere. This is outside the scope of this paper. This paper focuses on advances in narrow AI, particularly on the development of new algorithms and models in a field of computer science referred to as machine learning.