[Brief] Effects of AI on the individual
Introduction
In the coming decades, AI could either develop enough that we could examine the workings of our brain analogously through the structure of the AI, or it could become so intelligent that it can help us solve a similar problem. Reaching such a high level of AI will be revolutionary for the individual. We could be able to symbiotically attach ourselves to such an AI, directly interface our brain with it (like a tertiary layer to the limbic system and cerebral cortex [1]), or realise a method to upload our consciousness onto a digital medium [2]. This raises problems. If the advent of the internet has taught us anything, it is that governments and marketing teams will save every piece of data about each and every one of us if given the chance. The 21st century heavily challenged the privacy laws of the world, but advanced AI would bring a much more massive wave of problems.
Privacy
Today, one of the biggest ad service providers is Facebook. An article from the Washington Post [3] lists the various data points that Facebook collects about its users, which advertises are free to discriminate using. While datapoints about our online behaviour may still be acceptable to collect, the lines are blurred when in a country like China, this data is correlated with the real-life person, and their real-life actions. In the most surveyed city in China [4], there exists up to 168 cameras per 1000 people. With AI advancements, computer vision can make out individuals and track their behaviour. Thus, all of an individual’s digital and physical movements are tracked by the government. China’s new social credit system [5], brings more debate on the ethicality of discriminating citizens based on their physical and digital data. How much privacy do the people in China enjoy? How much ever it may be, how confident can they be in that figure?
Digital people
The thought of having a person entirely exist on a computer-like entity is slowly becoming a less other-worldly possibility, creating many philosophical dilemmas. Morality and ethics are highly debatable topics. Is the right to privacy agreed to as a basic human right? [7]. When a person can be created and “killed” with the flick of a switch, what rights do they inherit? How far do those rights extend into privacy? Should biological people be differentiated from digital people? Should basic human rights be applied to “digital people” even though their experiences and workings are completely different? If some sort of cloud service is used to ensure that people are stored on secure and well working computer-like entities, would those cloud services have ownership of the people? Since their hardware contains all the peoples’ memories and actions, can they be tracked and used? How much control will the government retain? If consciousness can be uploaded, one would expect that a person’s world could be manufactured and controlled exactly – what would the purpose of the government be then? As with every other technology that has been invented, what advantages would first-adopters have? Would they stop at military superiority- or instant world dominance?
Solutions
Currently, the EU, with GDPR [6], is the forerunner in privacy laws surrounding the internet. It tries to tackle data collection issues by requiring accountability, confidentiality, storage limitation, accuracy, data minimisation, purpose limitation, and transparency. It also extended citizens rights into the privacy domain, with rights to erasure, rectification and data portability to name a few. Many states in America are also enacting legislation, creating advisory committees to inform the future stance that the Government should have on AI [8]. However, there is too much more legislation required to deal with the problems the internet poses, and our legislative and judicial systems may not be built to handle the rate of progress expected from AI. Governments take too long to initiate change, and the evolution of technology is only accelerating. Thus, we should not only be thinking about the direct problems AI might pose in the future, but also the problems posed by the way our judicial and legislative systems are currently set up.
References
[1] Musk, E. [Lex Fridman]. (2019, Nov 14). Elon Musk: Limbic System, Cerebral Cortex, and a Tertiary Layer of Digital Super-Intelligence [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ei7MQjRK0U&ab_channel=LexFridman
[2] [Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell]. (2020, Dec 10]. Can You Upload Your Mind & Live Forever? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b33NTAuF5E&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell
[3] Dewey, C. (2016, August 19). 98 personal data points that Facebook uses to target ads to you. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/08/19/98-personal-data-points-that-facebook-uses-to-target-ads-to-you/
[4] How Many Surveillance Cameras Are in Your City? – BatchGeo Blog. (n.d.). Batchgeo. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://blog.batchgeo.com/surveillance-cameras-in-your-city/
[5] Donnelly, D., PhD. (2021, October 26). China Social Credit System [Punishments & Rewards] in 2021. New Horizons Global Partners. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://nhglobalpartners.com/china-social-credit-system-explained/
[6] Wolford, B. (2019b, February 13). What is GDPR, the EU’s new data protection law? GDPR.Eu. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/
[7] United Nations. (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
[8] Legislation Related to Artificial Intelligence. (n.d.). National Conference Of State Legislatures. Retrieved December 25, 2021, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/2020-legislation-related-to-artificial-intelligence.aspx