Page 99 - Computer Genius Class 08
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Before we understand the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, we must first understand the meaning of
the word ‘Ethics’.
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of Philosophy which defines what is good for
individuals and society.
AI Ethics
Since the birth of Artificial Intelligence and the various technologies around it, ethical concerns
have been the most critical issues related to the topic. These technologies are fairly new and
regulations around its abuse or misuse are not clearly defined in any society.
One such concern involves the management of huge
data-sets that these AI systems have to deal with each time.
The norms around the storage, privacy, security, sharing
and usage of this data is blurry in most situations, which
can be a huge obstacle for the adoption of this technology,
going forward.
Ethical Issues related to Data Management
Data is the source of every AI system that we see today. The systems cannot exist without the data.
But there are serious concerns on how all this data is getting managed and stored.
For example, an average smart phone has an Android Operating System running, which is owned by
Google. The Operating System comes with a number of pre-installed Google apps that require specific
data from the user to run. So, if a user gives permission for some of these apps, then Google gets
access to the following information: A Google apps, can record your contact list, location, chats,
Email, photos, etc.
Contact Lists
Call logs or contact lists available in the smart phone
contains the name and phone number of all the friends,
relatives, business partners, colleagues, etc. Google can
easily access these close information of yours at any time.
It can also identify the names of people that you really like
to talk to and with whom you do not like to talk, as well as
the best and worst time to call you.
Location
The location of your house, all your friends’ and relative’s
house, your school, places where you hang out most of
the time etc. are all recorded by your smart-phone. It
also knows how much time you spend at these places, the
routes you take to reach them. With a little effort, it can
even predict if you’re gonna take a cab to get somewhere,
drive yourself, or ask your parents to drop you.
Access to AI and Ethical Issues 97

