Attorney William Meyer joins producer/host Coralie Chun Matayoshi to discuss the awesome and terrifying possibilities that AI can bestow on mankind, the absence of federal law governing rights of privacy and publicity, who owns your data and how it can be used, who owns your face, and the legal battles in store for the AI revolution.
The brave new world of Artificial Intelligence is here - and it is both awesome and terrifying! With the ability to analyze massive amounts of data rapidly and efficiently, AI can help medical professionals better diagnose and find cures for illnesses and disease and make our lives easier by taking away mundane tasks. But AI can also destroy privacy, threaten national security, spread misinformation, and maybe even take over humanity someday.
Awesome
- Medical diagnosis and cures – with its ability to analyze large amounts of data rapidly and efficiently, AI can help medical practitioners diagnose and predict health risks more effectively and tailor treatments based on individual patients’ conditions. AI can also help find cures for illnesses and diseases by rapidly synthesizing results of test trials and studies from around the world.
- Analysis, forecast and decision making – AI can use algorithms to consolidate massive amounts of data and make predictions that can be used in decision making.
- 24/7 personal assistant - Siri and Alexa already respond to human queries. AI-based chatbots can go one step further by “thinking” for you, and creating written and artistic works any time of day or night.
- Reduce human error – AI models use predictive analysis and will not make errors if programmed correctly. Computers don’t need to eat or sleep so they don’t need breaks or get fatigued and do not get bored with routine monotonous tasks.
- Fraud detection – AI uses machine learning models to detect anomalies and patterns in customer behaviors and make connections that could signify fraudulent activity. It is being used by banks and financial institutions, online business transactions, and even online gambling.
- Tailored education – AI can personalize each student’s learning experience that is fully tailored to their individual abilities, needs, and interests.
- Traffic management - AI can optimize timing of traffic signal, route suggestions, and lane management to reduce congestion and travel times. It can detect accidents, reckless driving, and hazards, making it safer for both drivers and pedestrians.
- High risk activities – robots and AI applications can be used in the areas which are risky to humans like disaster or emergency rescue or working with hazardous materials.
Terrifying
Stanford University researchers warn that: “AI systems are being used in the service of disinformation on the internet, giving them the potential to become a threat to democracy and a tool for fascism. From deepfake videos to online bots manipulating public discourse by feigning consensus and spreading fake news, there is the danger of AI systems undermining social trust. The technology can be co-opted by criminals, rogue states, ideological extremists, or simply special interest groups, to manipulate people for economic gain or political advantage.” https://ai100.stanford.edu/gathering-strength-gathering-storms-one-hundred-year-study-artificial-intelligence-ai100-2021-1-0#misinformation.
Risks include:
- Lack of Privacy – AI technologies collect and analyze large amounts of personal data. Who owns the data and who controls how it is used? Regulations on data protection and safe data handling practices are needed.
- Loss of Human Connection – social media has already reduced live face-to-face interaction and contributed to a lack of empathy and human connection. Increasing reliance on AI-driven communication will put further distance between humans.
- Cyberattacks and Security –militarization of AI has profound implications for global security and warfare. Its ability to gather and analyze large amounts of data can allow quicker decision-making, autonomous weaponry, and more accurate targeting with or without human intervention which could escalate conflicts and lead to an AI arms race. Hackers and bad actors can use AI to develop more sophisticated cyberattacks and bypass security.
- Misinformation and lack of trust - AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes can manipulate public opinion and influence elections. By 2025, 90% of content on the internet will be generated with the help of AI. With so much content out there, who do you believe?
- Bias and discrimination - AI systems may be trained on biased training data or algorithmic design which can lead to information and decisions that discriminate against those who are already marginalized in society.
- Job loss and economic inequality - AI-driven automation can lead to job losses, especially for low-skilled workers, contributing to an even greater income gap and decreased opportunities for upward mobility. Large corporations that can harness the power of AI can accumulate greater wealth and power while smaller businesses struggle to compete.
- Existential threat – AI’s ability to teach itself knowledge that keeps growing exponentially, surpassing human intelligence, raises long-term concerns for humanity. The concern is containment to avoid unintended and potentially catastrophic consequences because AI decisions may not be aligned with human values or priorities.
In the next 2 podcasts, we’ll delve into the right of privacy (who owns your data), and the right of publicity (who owns your face). In the absence of federal law governing the right of privacy and right of publicity, states have enacted a patchwork of laws to regulate the gathering and use of your personal data and likeness. But the genie is out of the bottle and laws must be enacted to control AI before it controls us. Stay tuned!
To learn more about this subject, tune into this video podcast.
Disclaimer: this material is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The law varies by jurisdiction and is constantly changing. For legal advice, you should consult a lawyer that can apply the appropriate law to the facts in your case.