Artificial Intelligence is the tech topic of our time. With AI surveillance companies such as Clearview ripping identities online to track people, predictive crime tech and more, restraints need to be put in place. Enter: The AI Bill of Rights.
In the works for the last year, The White House and the Biden Administration’s AI Bill of Rights aims to protect the public from AI. But does this legislation protect everyday citizens enough from Big Tech?
The White House reveals AI Bill of Rights
Released in a White House press release, the AI Bill of Rights is designed to “help guide the design, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and other automated systems so that they protect the rights of the American public.” However, the current version of the document is still just a “blueprint”.
AI BoR co-writer Suresh Venkatasubramanian revealed that there are five main principals for the document. These are: Safe and Effective Systems, Algorithmic Discrimination Protections, Data Privacy, Notice and Explanation, and Human Alternatives, Consideration, and Fallback.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, Venkatasubramanian explained that these principles “should be visible and easy to understand, and they shouldn't eliminate human interlocutors." The bill witter also explained that the document has been in a heavy review process since its conception last year.
“There were thousands of edits and comments that made the document strong, rich, and detailed," they said. "The AI Bill of Rights reflects, as befits the title, a consensus, broad, and deep American vision of how to govern the automated technologies that impact our lives."
They continued to explain that these rights are “for everyone who interacts daily with these powerful technologies — and every person whose life has been altered by unaccountable algorithms.” However, the AI Bill, while a good first step, does barely anything to hinder Big Tech.
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A light slap on the wrist
As it turns out, the AI Bill of Rights only exists to protect citizens from the federal government, not private companies like Amazon, Meta, Google and more. While Big Tech companies are the proponents of huge, dangerous AI projects, this bill does nothing to stop them.
Via Wired, OSTP deputy director for science and society Alondra Nelson claimed that these the restrictions are not enough. He said: “We too understand that principles aren’t sufficient. This is really just a down payment. It’s just the beginning and the start.”
The ethics of Artificial Intelligence is becoming a major issue for modern technology. With massive AI companies such as Google DeepMind firing ethicists for bringing up issues, huge companies also need to be taken to account.
Thankfully, the White House isn’t the only governmental body taking aim at artificial Intelligence. The European Parliament has also opened new investigations into huge companies in the AI field.
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