7 things you should know about artificial intelligence Posted on : Jan 17 - 2018

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, thanks to ever-more-powerful computing, massive growth in the availability of digital data and increasingly sophisticated algorithms. The world’s largest technology firms are investing billions to develop their AI capabilities, and companies across industries, from travel to real estate to fashion, are racing to bring AI-enabled services to market.

AI has the potential to bring significant social benefits, including health care (via improved diagnostics), transportation (through self-driving vehicles) and law enforcement (with improved fraud detection). AI also brings new social risks, including to non-discrimination (from algorithmic bias), privacy (through the misuse of personal information), child rights (through lack of informed consent) and labor rights (because of the mass displacement of workers by machines).

While by no means exhaustive, we believe the following seven considerations are essential for our members to factor into their AI strategies.

1. It's relevant for all industries, not just technology companies

The development of AI today is being driven by Silicon Valley, and it is understandable that private-sector participation in the dialogue about the social implications of AI has been dominated by technology companies. However, it is an urgent priority for companies in other sectors using AI — financial services, healthcare, infrastructure, public services and retail — to understand how AI impacts their business models, employees and customers.

2. The human rights and ethics impacts are especially important

The U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were created to guide the integration of human rights into business decision-making and should be deliberately applied to the development and deployment of AI. This means asking and addressing questions such as "What are the most severe potential impacts?", "Who are the most vulnerable groups?" and "How can we ensure access to remedy?" Companies should take a human rights by design approach to AI. View More