Artificial intelligence (AI) will be the next major technological advancement that will dramatically impact modern society. From transforming the way we work to increasing the efficiency of outdated systems, the changes promised by AI have the potential to be completely transformative. Although this presents an enormous range of opportunities, there are also some major challenges that must be overcome if humanity is to strike an effective balance between progress and risk.
History shows that societies and laws do not always cope well with rapid innovation. Advances in technologies such as the steam engine and the automatic loom, for example, were met with varying degrees of resistance and fear before their benefits were fully realized. In the case of AI, harnessing its potential while preventing abuse means that legislators need to take a prudent, risk-based approach to regulation that embraces change alongside effective safeguards.
lessons from the past
The pattern of resisting and then embracing innovative technology has been repeated throughout history. The most famous historical example is the introduction of the power loom during the Industrial Revolution, when workers became increasingly concerned about machines replacing human work and labor. For example, in 1826, a three-day riot broke out in Lancashire, during which 21 factories were attacked and six protesters who refused to disperse were shot dead by the army.
However, when these and other technologies were integrated, they enabled significant advances in manufacturing processes and were instrumental in generating significant economic growth. Today, many believe that AI and machine learning will follow a similar trajectory. Technology increases efficiency and productivity to levels never seen before in the modern workplace. But at the other end of the debate, some argue that these quote-unquote “sentient robots” pose an existential risk to humanity and raise concerns about where advances in AI will take us in the long term.
However, it’s important to pause for a moment and recognize the difference between true AI, which seeks to mimic human-level intelligence, and today’s machine learning algorithms that excel at specific tasks. For example, technologies such as self-driving cars and chatbots use machine learning rather than true AI. Despite the hype, technology probably won’t reach human-level intelligence in the near future, and in the meantime, machine learning will rapidly transform.
balance risk and benefit
Like any powerful technology, AI comes with benefits as well as risks. For example, applications that use AI to create personalized education for people with learning disabilities, improve medical diagnosis, and increase accessibility for the visually impaired have the potential to be transformative advances. The problem is that more worrying scenarios are also emerging, such as the use of AI-generated phishing emails, hacking tools, and deepfakes. As capabilities increase, the threat from malicious parties will inevitably increase. However, AI is already being used to counter these risks.
As a result, concerns that AI will cause unintended consequences are understandable, but must be balanced with a mindset that enables progress. For example, the rollout of hastily drafted legislation may require ongoing amendments, during which time AI innovation could be stifled or competitive advantages lost.
Ideally, legislators should proceed cautiously to determine acceptable levels of risk, rather than prohibiting research, development, or practical implementation in broad areas. AI experts and ethicists should also have a seat at the table to provide input on sensitive policies and regulations. This is not likely to be an easy process, especially given the definition of digital privacy, cybercrime, legal liability, and other issues that may require serious rethinking to account for systems that can autonomously generate content and make decisions.
Legislating emerging technologies is often a difficult path, and first attempts to apply law to the digital world often fail, especially due to the rapid pace of change. New challenges posed by AI’s almost limitless potential and autonomous capabilities will further test existing legal frameworks and highlight the need for technical and ethical experts to advise policy-making processes on whether future laws are appropriate for an AI-driven future.
Ultimately, AI has immense potential to change our lives for the better, but it also comes with risks. As technology becomes more pervasive, stakeholders must remain fact-based and require thoughtful regulation focused on preventing harm, but not allowing fear to outweigh hope or limit progress. Learning from the past and proceeding cautiously and without bias will ensure that AI is well managed and used for good purposes. The widespread integration of this technology brings new ground to the law, but with insight and planning, you can have confidence in your AI-powered future.
Photo credits: Alexander Limback/Shutterstock
Richard Starnes is Director of Cybersecurity Strategy. Six Degrees.
