Rise of AI machines

 

Cartoon by Gou Ben; Poem by Long Yuan

 

Holding hands with a remote control,
You can touch a machine, yet it has no soul.
Automatons can mimic the gentle nature of man, 
And even speak sweetly as a poet can.
Artificial Intelligence is an every-day reality.
Mechanized society has nearly reached universality.
A robot could even lend a mechanical ear,
To comfort the elderly in their final years. 
But usefulness is not the only metric.
What about an AI code of ethics?

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With the rapid development of science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a reality of daily life. Traditional robots for industry and housekeeping as well as intelligent robots for military and aerospace are becoming capable of more accurately imitating human attributes, such as autonomy, intention and emotion.

At the same time, many ethical problems loom large. In light of this, the future development of AI should be built on a solid moral basis.

AI and robotics are not purely technological sciences. They require intellectual support from other professional fields, such as philosophy, psychology and law. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to develop control systems and design software that ensures AI operate in a way that is in accordance with human ethics.

Progress in information technology has advanced cognitive science. The simulation of human thinking and communication has equipped robots with the ability to perceive and respond. As a focus of applied research, AI machines are participating in social life in various ways, which generates moral behaviors. They, together with human beings, form a human-machine moral community.
 

For instance, the elderly and children can become reliant on companion robots, and patients can feel grateful to surgical robots. Especially in the fields of entertainment, social contact and medical science, AI machines that have perception, intention and autonomy are regarded as moral and ethical subjects that hold equal status with humans.
 

However, widespread application of AI has caused unprecedented ethical problems. For example, how do we address the legal and ethical dilemmas AI use raises in the realms of military and health care? How do we view the rights and morality of robots with biocomputing capabilities, such as self-driving cars, cyborgs and robots that have consciousness?
 

To be specific, one issue is the question of safety. Safety is the primary consideration when applying any new technology. In the context of AI development, the issue of safety is closely related to programming. Though developers try their best to design impeccable programs, it is extremely difficult to ensure millions of lines of code contain no errors. However, even the smallest mistake could lead to fatal consequences.
 

Another is the social problem. The coming AI revolution will cause unemployment as robots become increasingly common in the workforce. It will also challenge interpersonal relationships and contaminate the environment. Some scholars of ethics worry that human beings may become overly dependent on AI technologies.
 

For instance, some robots can perform complicated and risky surgeries better and will gradually replace doctors in those traditional roles. This, however, will bring to a halt the accumulation of medical skills and knowledge, and thus make our society more vulnerable. At the same time, robots may affect traditional interpersonal relationships. As loyal companions are programmed to be incapable of dishonest behavior, robots are likely to establish an emotional bond with human beings.

In addition, as an expanded application of computer equipment, robots will also generate electronic waste and a massive amount of radio-frequency radiation that will pollute the ecological environment that mankind depends on for survival.
 

To conclude, we need to pay more attention to the ethical problems brought by AI technologies. We must lay down related rules and regulations to better guide the development of AI.

 

Wang Shaoyuan is from the Faculty of Marxism at the Shanxi University of Finance and Economics and Ren Xiaoming is from the Faculty of Philosophy at Nankai University.