The ethics of AI - what are we even talking about? - blog

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Wovon man nicht sprechen kann darüber muss man schweigen? The discussion on the real potential of AI is often buried under the tech hype.

But AI is becoming a vital international competitive advantage for Finland. As a welfare society, the study of the ethical questions related to AI comes naturally to us, which allows us to take a pioneering role in this field as well. But what are we actually talking about, and how?

With the hype surrounding AI, we easily end up in a situation where AI is taken as absolute value for solving all kinds of problems. The practically unchallenged justification of AI is manifested in phrases such as ”AI defeats humans”, ”AI promotes well-being”, ”a more intelligent society through AI” or ”AI revolutionises traffic and promotes sustainability”. Such catchphrases touching on global technological and social challenges are thrown around not only by the media, but many experts too, thus legitimising the social superiority of certain technologies. An off-the-cuff remark in this field can have a major social impact. Flippantly dropped visions of, for example, the potential of AI can influence how decision-makers invest funds in technological research, steer the focus of scientists competing for funding and guide the investments made by businesses. Spoken aloud and with sufficient authority, these statements either become self-fulfilling or lead to inflated expectations.