On-site Q&A: How does big technology deal with ethical issues?

The application of artificial intelligence in businesses and the public sector is causing huge ethical differences, including internal and external technology companies.

Large technology groups that lead research on artificial intelligence in the United States and China, such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Baidu, SenseTime, and Tencent, have taken a very different approach.

They disagree on issues such as whether to develop technologies that can ultimately be used for military and surveillance purposes, and to whom these systems can be sold.

Some of them were also attacked due to algorithmic flaws or distortions in their programs, and computers inadvertently spread these flaws in them. bias Through unfair or corrupt data input-such as Amazon’s experimental hiring algorithm, Female applicants penalized. The company scrapped it thereafter.

However, the debate surrounding ethics in artificial intelligence is not just a philosophical one. Governments around the world are drafting national regulations on AI to prevent moral conflict and prejudice.Also European Union. This is especially important because intelligent decision-making systems are increasingly used in public services, such as social welfare, law enforcement, and medical care.

As companies develop new AI products, they will have to ensure that these systems are transparent, fair, interpretable, and compatible with existing laws and regulations. How Big Tech solves the AI ​​bias problem will not only affect the public’s perception and trust, but also affect the company’s ability to conduct business in a specific country, the AI ​​products being developed, and the types of talents they can attract.

What does this mean for companies that build machine learning algorithms? Will this affect their business model? Will ethical issues affect the product itself? Will it affect their sales and revenue? How does artificial intelligence ethics controversy affect the workforce of these companies? What are the reasons for forcing companies to check whether there are ethical issues in their algorithms? Is this a regulation or something else?

Madhumita Murgia, a European technology reporter for the Financial Times, and Kiran Stacey, a Washington correspondent for the Financial Times, will answer these ethical problems and more questions you have about technology companies all day (GMT) on Thursday, May 13th.

Post your question in the comments below. The British “Financial Times” reporters will come to pick them up regularly.