Page 10 - AeM_Apr_2018

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Man vs Machine:

Will AI put our humanity at stake?

The vision of an all-knowing, omni-present intelligent However, AI also unfortunately inherits and reflects the
being that forms the backbone of our everyday lives has existing bias of its creators through the data it is given.
been portrayed in movies that captivate the imagination For example, when used in recruitment, a biased AI
of many. Today, that vision is not too far from reality, and could be trained to shortlist potential candidates based
we are seeing this at work through artificial intelligence on selected profiles of high-performing employees,
(AI) – from AI-powered voice assistants like Alexa, to which may not be representative of the company’s
helping solve traffic issues, enabling the sequencing of workforce nor consider diversity and inclusion as a
DNA, tackling business problems and transforming factor for hiring, and potentially skew the hiring
industries such as tech, healthcare to logistics and demographic.
fintech.
The capabilities of AI are only as objective as the
Current AI technologies are estimated to have quality of the data inputs, as well as the assumptions
the potential to automate about 50 percent of work around this data. When this data is not carefully
activities in ASEAN’s four biggest economies – selected, AI may not only validate the biases we hold,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, but further perpetuate them.
according to McKinsey.
Leaving this unaddressed could pose issues for
Even as AI increasingly finds its way into our everyday society, given that AI has already found its way into
lives, the transformative power of AI is underpinned by a sectors such as telecommunications, medical, legal
deeper issue that threatens the very fabric of our society and finance. For example, a biased AI system might
– the presence of bias within it. deny a bank loan simply because the borrower is

located in a poorer neighborhood.
Uncovering the roots of bias
The possible scenarios are endless, though the
Much of AI’s capabilities as an intelligent, cognitive conclusion resoundingly clear – bias in AI needs to be
system rely on it being programmed and trained. At its swiftly addressed while AI is still at its teething stages,
core, AI operates on algorithms and data sets, the
driving force of the digital economy in the 21st century. before it progresses too far to root out issues that lie at
the conception.

10 April 2018 - Strategic Social Media & Augmented Reality (AR)