Ethical Issues with the Artificial Intelligence of Computers - Essay Example

? ETHICAL ISSUES WITH THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OF COMPUTERS Introduction The ethical and moral concerns related to the potential future establishment of devices, with general intellectual abilities, extensively outperforming those of human beings are reasonably different from ethical issues emerging in modern information and automation systems. Such artificial intelligence would not be just a different technological innovation; it would rather be another most crucial development ever created, and would result to explosive development in all technological and scientific sectors, as the artificial intelligence would operate with superhuman capacity and efficiency. Additionally, to the level that ethics is a rational recreation, the artificial intelligence could easily outstrip human beings in the value of its ethical thinking. Therefore, it is the role of the AI designer to cite its initial motivation. Since the artificial intelligence may turn out to be inevitably influential due to its intellectual power and the technologies it could invent, it is should be provided with people friendly motivations. Discussion Artificial intelligence of the computer is a computer science field responsible for inventing machines that can participate in intelligent attributes. The capacity to invent intelligent devices has intrigued people since the traditional times, and currently with the creation of the computer, and several decades of study in the artificial intelligence programming techniques, the vision of intelligent devices are becoming a reality, (Poole & Mackworth, 2010). Additionally, researchers are inventing intelligent systems that can impersonate human thought, comprehend speech, outstrip the most intelligent human chess player and various other innovations never before possible. With these significant creations of artificial intelligence computers or machines, fascinating concerns have emerged. For instance, computer scientists, sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists are concerned about the future and ethical implications of these advanced creations. Emerging concerns includes, first, will the value of human life advance with development of artificial intelligence or not? What are possible ethical implications of artificial intelligence of computers? Finally, what beneficial types of artificial intelligence should be invented and how they are applied? This paper seeks to investigate and provide solutions to these concerns. Artificial intelligence of computers seeks to enhance and promote the value of human life. Various positive results in the modern society can emanate with the utilization of artificial intelligence. For instance, intensive production and indirect reduced costs of production are evident in factories, industries and production lines. Operations better suited for machines have reduced errors and enhanced efficiency, for instance, the capacity to detect fraud and credit, (Berlatsky, 2011). Additionally, American Express and other institutions have invented an authoritarian assistant, which utilizes artificial intelligence to assess whether; a transaction is short of character for a card code. The authority assistant system is highly accurate compared to manual system, and it saves more time. Also, this and various, infinite other opportunities exist for employing artificial intelligence of devices to enhance efficiency. Artificial intelligence systems are being utilized to substitute human efforts in dangerous conditions. Artificial intelligence can withstand radioactive aspects and operate efficiently in conditions where there is restricted space and inadequate oxygen to inhale. This alternative will alleviate unwarranted life losses because of possible accidents and unsecure conditions. In addition, artificial intelligence seeks to enhance the lives of old people. Experts agree that due to human demand to participate in their work, the attention and care for old people at home has declined, and the percentage requiring nursing attention has increased. The desire for such people to be self-reliant is unattainable, and the aged will have to cope in the nursing homes, (Kizza, 2007). Similarly, artificial intelligence machines are an attempt to solve this challenge. If a spouse dies, the widowed partner, while perhaps not entirely self-reliant, may no longer need to seek assistance in a nursing home. This is because the artificial intelligence robot can manage the person and assist with tasks extremely hard for the individual on their own. In fact, the entire society starts to transform. Menial activities operated by human beings will no longer require care, attention, and more time can be used taking extensively constructive activities. The systems operated by artificial intelligent robots will be extremely accurate than ever, therefore, enhancing the degree of trust in taking some decisions. Additionally, lives can be enhanced, perhaps some years to come people will reflect back, the same way people today reflect back at progress, and wonder how extremely challenging their lives were in the past. Artificial intelligence gives novices “immediate expertise” in certain fields. They capture skill and intelligent, which might be vanished in retirement or death of an individual expert. In addition, expertise of various experts can be combined, theoretically, to make the expertise of the system intensively comprehensive than person’s expertise. Artificial intelligence systems are not bound to human challenges of fatigue, stress or illness, and if adequately designed, they can be highly resistant to mistakes and inconsistencies. Such advantages make artificial intelligence be extremely attractive to business, (Tavani, 2007). Artificial intelligence has been lately applied in administration and control, science, manufacturing sectors, engineering field, legal cases, military as well space activities, and medical field and diagnostic fields to improve the value of human life. Some artificial intelligence implementations such as natural processing of language, retrieval of database, systems of experts consulting, proving of theorem, robotics, scheduling, perceptual conflict management and automatic programming have intensively enhanced human life. Management is conveying increased knowledge systems of work, which are systems utilized to assist experts and professionals like architects, medics, engineers and astronauts in the creation and distribution of new information and expertise. Company executives in various organizations employ artificial based strategic systems of planning to help in operations such as competitive analysis, deployment of technologies and allocation of resources. They also employ programs to aid in configuration design of equipment, distribution of products, regulatory-compliance advertisements and promotions, and individual evaluation. Artificial intelligence has contributed intensively to human advancement through organizational management, operations control, planning and will continue to enhance the value of human life with creation and advancement of computer devices. Experts agree that along with any advancement in technology are adverse results, as well. For instance, because artificial intelligence computers are highly capable of providing accurate outcomes, they will potentially substitute and reduce human efforts in tasks that are highly designed for human. This could imply that the workstation will shift from being man’s domain. Similarly, unemployment could increase, and people could lose their role as influential creatures. Most detrimental of the risks is the total ruin of the man. In addition, if artificial intelligence at Moravec’s 4th generation of Robot level is invented, these devices will have their own intellect and could potentially destroy humanity, (Kizza, 2007). At a basic level, utilization of AI in routine tasks might lead to laziness in human’s part. The mentality would change to “if computers can perform all the activities why should people spend more time doing it?” Scientists agree that people have an exceptional capacity to think, scrutinize and resolve challenges. Use of artificial intelligence to interpret and perform these tasks renders human mind and capacity useless. Based on the nature and attributes of AI, there are various concerns regarding ethics and social impacts of creating intelligent devices and applying them in modern society. As artificial intelligence devices are programmed to imitate human functions, various moral and ethical issues emerge into focus. For instance, are there moral and ethical limits on what AI should do? The application of increasingly developing areas of biotechnology and computer engineering to recreate life brings ethical and moral concerns. For instance, there is a moral responsibility on the creator’s part to ensure that the created device does not cause any harm to humanity or infringe human rights. Secondly, there is also an effect of the new technological development on the society. Similarly, substituting human labour with robots may lower costs of labour and lead to unemployment in many societies, but new opportunities in IT industry are invented. Some experts agree that social and ethical consequences of AI are obvious and are evident in various arguments. Whereas one party suggests that there are various people living in poverty with no jobs, there is no need to invent mechanical workers (that can work and think on their own). Therefore, people should not invent devices that compete with human intelligence. Another group believes that the human race cannot exploit natural resources without the assistance of artificial intelligence devices that can help them think. Similarly, opinions differ concerning the level to which people should promote the intelligence of machines and what such devices should look like, (Tavani, 2007). Should people think about autonomous machine like space surveyors or devices that imitate human form, character and mind? Another concern that may pose conflict is the desire to restructure systems of law. If artificial intelligence computers are as designed, a humanlike thinking device, with emotions and feeling like humans, then, the law should be changed including the responsibilities of robots in the human race. The question remains, would AI be responsible for their doings? Will they assume similar rights as people? Additionally, artificial intelligence is a threat to human existence because they have outstripped human intelligence. This also creates challenges to the human race because superhuman intelligences without invention rights might outthink their bosses, increasingly rejecting control, (Poole & Mackworth, 2010). Similarly, intelligent robots of superhuman intelligence, with invention rights, may start to think of themselves, as above humans and that human rights are insufficient. In addition, they may assume the power to make decisions about what right to give rights to humans, and not human decisions of what rights to give the superhuman intelligences. Some people question the significance of AI to humans. They argue that if the AI’s are able to carry out all physical tasks that people traditionally do, create advancements that people traditionally created, invent things concerning universe, then humans are useless and powerless. This is because these artificial intelligence robots have taken human roles. Similarly, because of these ethical concerns, various scholars and human rights activists have formulated various famous robotics laws, which should govern artificially intelligent robot behaviors. These laws include first an artificial intelligence computer should not harm human beings or allow them come to injury. Second, AI’s should obey orders granted to it by people except where these orders interfere with the first law. Third, AI should preserve its existence if such security does not interfere with the above two laws. Therefore, experts and human rights activists believe that the artificial intelligence robots that should be developed are those robots that only assist humans perform their roles. The devices should assist them develop and improve their lives but not render their lives and existence meaningless, (Berlatsky, 2011). In fact, artificial intelligence machines should help protect and safeguard human rights and freedoms while assisting them accomplish their goals and missions in life. Conclusion In conclusion, therefore, the potential risks of destruction of the human race may not be powerful enough to warrant the argument against invention of artificial intelligence robots that are powerful than humans. The innovation of a superior man artificial intelligence is comparable to God’s creation – a practical, physical consciousness that is absurdly rational that people cannot hope to comprehend. Therefore, the issue of whether or not people should invent AI, - and if yes, how innovative should they be –is a challenging and complicated one on extensive ethical and philosophical extents. References Berlatsky, N. (2011). Artificial intelligence. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Kizza, J. M. (2007). Ethical and social issues in the information age. London: Springer-Verlag. Poole, D. L., & Mackworth, A. K. (2010). Artificial intelligence: Foundations of computational agents. New York: Cambridge University Press. Tavani, H. T. (2007). Ethics and technology: Ethical issues in an age of information and communication technology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Read More