Artificial intelligence for what?

The promises of artificial intelligence are many and varied, and range from the reasonable to the crazy: it will generate more efficiency in trade, it will do the heavy lifting for us, and in the process it will save the world from climate change and any catastrophe that comes our way.

You often hear more about wacky proposals than modest ones.

As computer scientist Michael Wooldridge writes, "what artificial intelligence needs now, more than anything else, is an injection of humility."

This pandemic has made it clearer than ever that artificial intelligence is not a magic wand capable of solving our problems with a stroke of the pen.

Of the hundreds of algorithms that were designed to diagnose and treat covid, none were successful and it is likely that some have even caused damage.

Given that artificial intelligence will never solve our social and political problems, and often not even more technical issues such as medical ones, why are there so many hopes for this technology?

There are certain psychological reasons: we humans like to be optimistic, particularly about the artifacts we create.

It does not fit in our heads that so much effort could be in vain (or, worse, harmful).

But, above all, we must not lose sight of the fact that behind so much artificial intelligence (and stupidity), there are powerful economic interests.

Of course, the companies that design algorithms are going to say that artificial intelligence is going to improve our lives, just as the companies that produce detergents are going to assure us that their products will remove any stain.

Tech companies depend on us to believe in the promises of artificial intelligence to keep their business running.

But will artificial intelligence really improve our lives remarkably?

It remains to be seen, and if so, it will not be by coincidence, but by design.

Today, why do we create artificial intelligence?

There are some researchers working on these algorithms out of scientific curiosity.

Some others are trying to solve a real and important problem, such as finding new drugs that can fight superbugs.

But an inconvenient and rarely mentioned truth is that most algorithms are designed and implemented with the ultimate goal of making money.

Mr Garcia

It's not just that the companies that create algorithms are putting out a genre like any other and just making money by selling it.

Is that this is an article designed for institutions to save money.

The company that makes detergents sells a product that removes stains (removing any stain is more doubtful).

The algorithm company sells something that saves money, but is marketed to the public as saving the world.

If you ask a top bank executive why he wants to implement more algorithms in his company, the answer has nothing to do with improving people's lives: it's to save money.

There is nothing wrong with earning more or saving money in and of itself.

The problem is when a very powerful technology is designed, with potentially systemic effects, with the main objective of making money but under the guise of wanting to improve the world and without taking into account the interests and rights of people.

That's why we end up with social media algorithms that promote fake news and bias (the algorithm is designed to maximize time on social media because that makes more money).

Or with algorithms that generate insufferable work schedules for workers, with variable schedules that destroy people's vital rhythms.

Or with imprecise, unfair and discriminatory algorithms.

The main goal of these algorithms was not to improve our lives,

One does not produce ethical technology simply for the sake of having no bad intentions.

Ethical technology is the result of thinking carefully about the interests of all people who will be affected by technology, carefully designing all elements of technology to serve a good purpose, and being willing to put people before others. economic interests.

Earning money is fine, but not at the expense of the well-being of the population or the health of democracy.

Powerful technologies can create more problems than they solve if they are not designed ethically.

Developing the ethics of artificial intelligence is urgent because the alternative is unethical artificial intelligence.

Ethics do not come about by chance, but by design.

For artificial intelligence to improve people's lives,

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