As already mentioned in previous posts, I find the excellent book by Cathy O’Neil ‘Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy‘ more and more quoted in many publications. I also noticed that in the last report on AI in France by Cedric Villani, the topic of ethics was given a large place.
Ethics in Big Data and AI is essential. “Big Data processes codify the past . They do not invent the future . Doing that requires moral imagination , and that’s something only humans can provide . We have to explicitly embed better values into our algorithms , creating Big Data models that follow our ethical lead . Sometimes that will mean putting fairness ahead of profit“.
Some have complained that ethics has taken too much space in Cedric Villani’s report and that those considerations may make it harder to catch-up in the field of AI. However as recent experience shows, it is also essential not to risk the rejection of new technology because it would not be ethical, leading to crisis and non-acceptance.
Ethics and regulation in Big Data and AI is essential to create a balanced world where everyone will have opportunities. Let’s not avoid the debate and the regulations that will ensue.
