The lay of the land
Before deploying AI, governance professionals must grasp the harms it can cause. AI poses risks already understood in existing sectors, but the scale, scope and speed of processing could exacerbate them, and future risks are hard to anticipate.
Before any organisation deploys AI, governance professionals must understand the harms it can cause and the principles that keep it trustworthy.
ML and AI pose risks already understood in existing sectors, but the scale, scope and speed of processing could exacerbate those risks. Because the technology keeps evolving, future risks are hard to anticipate → so AI principles and ethics must be applied during development and testing to mitigate harm.
The public mood (Pew Research):
- 👍 Welcomed → AI assisting with data analysis and problem-solving.
- 😟 Feared → a majority worry AI will erode human creativity and the ability to form meaningful relationships.
- 🤝 Cautious optimism → support for AI in weather forecasting, financial crime detection and medical advances; scepticism for personal, sensitive matters.
"Given the scope, the scale, the speed and the potential impact of artificial intelligence, it is essential that harms continue to be identified both at the start of the AI creation process and throughout the life cycle." - Vivienne Artz, AIGP