What is responsible AI?
The aim of responsible AI is to embed the principles of ethics, fairness, transparency and accountability in AI applications and workflow automation, from design and development to deployment and use, in order to anticipate and reduce risks and negative outcomes while maximising positive ones.
Why should we care?
Humans and AI compete for the same scarce resource
Data centers consume vast amounts of fresh water - an increasingly scarce resource.
The environmental costs are high due to vast amounts of electronic waste.
There is an immense energy consumption. To serve future demand, fossil-fuel and gas-fired power plants are being used, nuclear power plants seem to be an option.
We risk undermining the very foundations of our existence with higher carbon dioxide levels, rising temperatures, and reduced access to fresh water.
Agentic AI meet decisions without being responsible
Agent-based AI can make decisions within its limitations in order to achieve defined goals. However, the methods it uses and how it arrives at its conclusions often remain unclear. As we do not fully understand these processes, our instructions may be imprecise or inadequate, which can lead to unintended consequences.
The quality of a result must also be judged by what we cannot directly observe. What data did it draw upon? What factors did the AI consider when making its decision? What biases shaped the output? Were statistical probabilities the cause of a hallucination?
AI has no legal status and is not accountable for its actions. Responsibility for its results always lies with humans. While this is as it should be, it also obliges us to influence and shape our actions by using AI for the better.
AI impacts what we think and how we act
The sycophantic tendencies of AI systems can inflate our sense of competence and, more worryingly, reinforce the belief that we are always right.
The more competent AI appears, the more readily users question and ultimately set aside their own judgement.
Information that is algorithmically curated to align with a user's perception of reality or their expectations is easier to process cognitively and fit into existing evaluative frameworks. Consequently, it is more likely to be perceived as true, credible and reliable.
Repeated personal interactions with AI can shift individual attitudes, acceptance and trust.