16/05/2024

Tetiana Klymchuk highlights the need for the ethical development of AI models

Tetiana Klymchuk, lecturer at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, analysed the role of ethics in the advancement and application of artificial intelligence in an article for The Conversation titled “AI Failures: From Biased Algorithms to Tragic Decisions.” 
 

Klymchuk reflects on the ethical frameworks on which AI is based and highlights good practice in the development of new models to avoid error or injustice. The lecturer explains that AI does not evolve according to changes in social values and norms, and that, therefore, its actions are a simple direct reflection of the guidelines we provide.

To develop her argument, she cites some topical examples related to new AI models. Among the cases are the story of a Wisconsin man whose prison sentence was based on a secret algorithm of a private company, the use of Amazon AI in hiring processes, the alleged voluntary fall of a robot into a fountain in Washington D.C. or the fatal accident caused by a Tesla driving assistant.

In a context where artificial intelligence is advancing and developing exponentially, altering the way we create content, make decisions and even how we perceive the world, Klymchuk is advocating for responsible AI. She explains that is achieved by developing technology ethically, transparently and prudently.

Recent studies from KU Leuven University show that in Belgium, up to 33% of the population already integrates AI into their daily tasks. According to Klymchuk, this foreshadows a future where the dependence on AI for task delegation will only grow. And it is precisely for this reason it is necessary “that society is adequately educated about the appropriate applications of AI,” says Klymchuk in her article, “understanding both its capabilities and its limitations.”

Tetiana Klymchuk is an artificial intelligence expert, teaches mathematics and is a lecturer in the Executive Master’s Degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics at UIC Barcelona. She also collaborates with the Observatory of Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies (IANT), the aim of which is to train new generations of students in the field of artificial intelligence. The emergence of this technology has had a great impact on society, and one objective of the IANT is to bring knowledge of this and other technologies closer to society as a whole.