Artificial intelligence is sweeping the technology world in the form of a revolution. What hidden dangers still exist?

At present, artificial intelligence is sweeping the technology circle in the form of revolution. Smart speakers, AlphaGo, driverless cars, NLP... the world has undergone profound changes, and we can always feel the convenience and fun brought by technology. Just as electricity and steam changed the human world, artificial intelligence has gradually penetrated into our capillaries.

Led by domestic and foreign technology giants such as Alibaba and Google, domestic start-ups focusing on the vertical field of artificial intelligence, such as Megvii Technology, Jialian Technology Video++, and Yitu Technology, have flourished. But at the same time, the security risks and ethical controversies brought about by artificial intelligence have also made all walks of life pay more attention to AI governance. The commercialization of emerging technologies will eventually be castles in the air if the direction is not stable. The development of AI needs to be based on the original intention of "people-oriented".

Dual warnings from science and society

The security risks and ethical disputes brought about by the development of artificial intelligence include data leakage, algorithmic bias, abuse of AI technology, security risks, imperfect regulations and other issues. For example, the abuse of AI technology leads to security threats. Intelligent network attack software has a certain self-learning ability, can imitate the user behavior in the system, and constantly change methods to achieve the purpose of staying in the computer system for a long time. Hackers can launch network attacks through artificial intelligence and cause security threats. For example, criminals take advantage of the various security risks of artificial intelligence TVs to: remotely control TVs, remotely install malware, remotely monitor homes, etc., causing user privacy leaks or property losses.

Recently, AI face-changing technology has been used in celebrity movies and TV dramas, which has caused heated discussions. Face recognition technology has been widely used, such as clocking in at work, shopping, paying, unlocking mobile phones, catching traffic violations, etc., and has a large user base. If someone uses AI face-changing technology to cheat in these fields, and face recognition cannot identify the authenticity, then personal privacy information, property, etc. will be stolen, and the consequences are unimaginable.

Privacy issues are one of the main threats in the development and utilization of data resources. Intelligent systems have a lot of personal information. If used properly, this data can improve the quality of human life. However, if some private information is used illegally for commercial purposes, it will cause data leakage and privacy infringement. Last year, the Ministry of Science and Technology issued 6 administrative fines, some of which involved genetic privacy issues. The public's concerns about genetic privacy are becoming more serious. Although China is promoting the scientific research application of medical big data such as electronic medical records, there are still problems such as insufficient safety regulations and legal protection for data use.

Third, the current artificial intelligence system is not mature enough, and technical defects lead to abnormal operation, which may cause safety hazards. For example, improper design or production of robots and unmanned intelligent systems will lead to abnormal operation. In recent years, there have been many safety accidents, such as the Waymo driverless car accident, the Uber driverless car killed a pedestrian, and the Tesla car accident, which have raised questions about the safety of driverless cars. In the field of AI medical care, the development of practical applications in areas such as image diagnosis is constantly advancing. If medical equipment equipped with disease recognition AI is put into use, it is expected that a large number of medical images can be analyzed through AI, making it easier to find lesions.

Ethical issues may be the most special problems that artificial intelligence technology brings to people. In the future, artificial intelligence will not only have perception, cognition and decision-making capabilities, but will also form different personalities. In decision-making, it may follow a different logic from humans, causing serious consequences and having a negative impact on social civilization.

Future plans for AI governance　

The impact of AI is spreading around the world, but there are currently no substantive policies or measures to develop governance mechanisms that can maximize the potential of AI and manage its risks. This is not because governments think that AI governance is unimportant, but because it requires all stakeholders, including policymakers, businesses and users, to open the Pandora's box together and discuss all possible issues.

The cornerstone of artificial intelligence is data. If the data collected by governments and enterprises in practical applications is improperly processed or manipulated, it will cause greater risks than previous data privacy scandals, as well as reputation risks that governments and enterprises have not yet internalized. Therefore, to prevent the abuse and loss of control of big data and artificial intelligence, a scientific data value system should be established starting from ideology.

In addition to studying feasible technical methods and means to ensure AI safety from the perspective of technical safety, it is also necessary to provide guidance and constraints for AI safety from an ethical perspective to ensure that "AI is used for good". Ethical norms need to reach a consensus on the ethical principles and frameworks of artificial intelligence at the company, industry, and national levels and implement them in the research and development and application of artificial intelligence. Because with the trend of technological acceleration and legal lag, it is necessary to rely more on ethical rules to play a pre-emptive guiding and regulatory role to ensure that AI is used for good.

At the same time, society is also in urgent need of the formulation of legal norms to regulate specific AI applications such as autonomous driving, drones , medical diagnosis, and robots based on specific industries, in order to achieve a balance between encouraging innovation and ensuring safety. The formulation of international standards and rules can ensure that the research and development and application of AI comply with common requirements such as ethics and international law.

The future is here, and
there are signs of how artificial intelligence will develop in the future, and we should pay attention to building an open artificial intelligence ecosystem to ensure that technological progress benefits mankind. China is now entering a major global change brought about by new technologies. All stakeholders, including the government, technology companies, academic institutions and users, should unite and adhere to the mentality of a future community to establish positive ecological rules.

The advancement of science and technology has brought about a reshaping of social lifestyles, and the general public can equally enjoy the convenience and possibilities brought by science and technology. In this era where opportunities and challenges coexist, let us start a smart and beautiful life with a responsible attitude.