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Generative AI : Ethics and Generative AI
Guidance and resources for AI chatbots and other types of Generative AI
Vice Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Lois Brooks
Like any new tool, we need to approach using it with care. For all of the great potential AI has, it is also imbued with a host of new risks. AI has the potential to be the vector for a tsunami of new cybersecurity threats, including phishing attacks, spam, malware, deepfakes and embedded vulnerabilities in machine-generated code. Large language models can magnify our human failings, like xenophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, ethnocentrism and other prejudices and biases. And many people are justifiably concerned about what advancements in AI will mean for their lives and livelihoods.
AI has opened the door to a new world. What it looks like is up to us (July 18, 2023)
Ethical Considerations
The ethical considerations of AI technologies are substantial and evolving. These include, but are not limited to:
- bias perpetuated in the training data and code
- inequitable access based on socioeconomic status, language, location, etc.
- use of personal data and intellectual property without consent or permission
- environmental sustainability of big data systems
- transparency in the use of generative AI
- research responsibility, authorship, and copyright
- inaccuracy and disinformation
- unfair labor practices
- academic integrity
- data security
Recent News and Voices to Follow
- AI-generated disinformation poses threat of misleading voters in 2024 election"Computer engineers and tech-inclined political scientists have warned for years that cheap, powerful artificial intelligence tools would soon allow anyone to create fake images, video and audio that was realistic enough to fool voters and perhaps sway an election." (PBS NewsHour, May 2023)
- Algorithmic Justice League"The Algorithmic Justice League’s mission is to raise awareness about the impacts of AI, equip advocates with empirical research, build the voice and choice of the most impacted communities, and galvanize researchers, policy makers, and industry practitioners to mitigate AI harms and biases."
- Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in ‘digital sweatshops’"While AI is often thought of as human-free machine learning, the technology actually relies on the labor-intensive efforts of a workforce spread across much of the Global South and often subject to exploitation." (Washington Post, August 2023)
- Emily M. Bender, Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of WashingtonVarious news, television, and scholarly works on ethical issues of AI.
- FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris administration secures voluntary commitments from leading artificial intelligence companies to manage the risks posed by AISeven leading companies commit to increasing security and transparency in their development and use of AI technology. (The White House, July 2023)
- FACT SHEET: President Biden Issues Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence"The Executive Order establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more." (The White House, October 2023)
- Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright LawCongressional Research Service report about copyright law in regards to generative AI. (May 2023)
- How to make generative AI greener"While observers have marveled at the abilities of new generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, BERT, LaMDA, GPT-3, DALL-E-2, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion, the hidden environmental costs and impact of these models are often overlooked." (Harvard Business Review, July 2023)
- Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phoneStudy from AI startup Hugging Face and Carnegie Mellon researchers analyzes generative AI's carbon footprint (December 2023)
- More than a glitch: Confronting race, gender, and ability bias in techBook by Meredith Broussard published in 2023 by MIT Press. Select "View Online" for the e-book version.
- Scammy AI-Generated Book Rewrites Are Flooding Amazon"Authors keep finding what appear to be AI-generated imitations and summaries of their books on Amazon. There's little they can do to rein in the rip-offs." (Wired, January 2023)
- Science journals set new authorship guidelines for AI-generated textBioethicist David Resnik at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) discusses accuracy and accountability when using ChatGPT to generate text. (Environmental Factor, March 2023)
- These Women Tried to Warn Us About AIRolling Stone magazine interviews seven women of color with expertise in AI on the societal biases built into generative AI and other tech. (August 2023)
- Thousands of authors urge AI companies to stop using work without permission"Thousands of writers including Nora Roberts, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Michael Chabon and Margaret Atwood have signed a letter asking artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI and Meta to stop using their work without permission or compensation." (NPR, July 2023)