Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries, powering innovations from healthcare to finance and driving advancements in autonomous vehicles and smart cities. However, as AI continues to permeate various aspects of our lives, concerns about its unregulated use are escalating. The unchecked proliferation of AI raises ethical, social and legal dilemmas that demand immediate attention and robust regulatory frameworks. The New Statesman brought this topic to our attention in their article, “Unregulated AI could cause the next Horizon scandal.”

One of the foremost concerns surrounding unregulated AI is its ethical implications. AI systems can perpetuate biases inherent in their training data, leading to discriminatory outcomes. For instance, biased algorithms in hiring processes can inadvertently favor certain demographics over others, exacerbating societal inequalities. Without regulations mandating fairness and transparency in AI development, these biases may go unchecked, perpetuating systemic injustices.

From a legal standpoint, the absence of clear regulations surrounding AI presents significant challenges. Determining liability in cases of AI-related accidents or harm is complex, especially when AI systems operate autonomously. Without established legal frameworks to hold developers and users accountable for the actions of AI systems, there’s a risk of impunity and injustice in the face of AI-related harm.

Addressing these risks requires proactive regulatory action that balances innovation with ethical considerations, safeguards individual rights and societal well-being and fosters international cooperation. Only through concerted efforts to establish robust regulatory frameworks, can we harness the transformative potential of AI while mitigating its risks and ensuring a more equitable and sustainable future.

The real challenge and possibly the reason for concern is that most organizations have little knowledge on how AI systems make decisions. Explainable AI allows users to comprehend and trust the results and output created by machine learning algorithms.

Melody K. Smith

Data Harmony is an award-winning semantic suite that leverages explainable AI.

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the intelligence and the technology behind world-class explainable AI solutions.