EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : Confronting the long-term risks of Artificial Intelligence

Source: The Hindu

• Prelims: Science and technology, Artificial intelligence(AI), Generative AI, Big Data, GANs, ChatGPT1 tool, DALL.E2 etc
• Mains GS Paper III and IV: Significance of technology for India, AI, indigenisation of technology and development of new technology.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• In the age of cyberattacks and data breaches, the same act is fraught with dangers.
• Cinematic example of evolving perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) risk is the film, Ex Machina.
• AI is projected to add $500 billion to India’s economy by 2025, accounting for 10% of the country’s target GDP.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

Artificial intelligence(AI):

• It is a branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of intelligent behavior in computers.
• It describes the action of machines accomplishing tasks that have historically required human intelligence.
• It includes technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, self algorithms etc.
• g: Facebook’s facial recognition software which identifies faces in the photos we post, the voice recognition software that translates commands we give to Alexa, etc are some of the examples of AI already around us.

Generative AI:

• It is a cutting-edge technological advancement that utilizes machine learning and artificial intelligence to create new forms of media, such as text, audio, video, and animation.
• With the advent of advanced machine learning capabilities: It is possible to generate new and creative short and long-form content, synthetic media, and even deep fakes with simple text, also known as prompts.

AI innovations:

• GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks)
• LLMs (Large Language Models)
• GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformers)
• Image Generation to experiment
• Create commercial offerings like DALL-E for image generation
• ChatGPT for text generation.
  • It can write blogs, computer code, and marketing copies and even generate results for search queries.

AI Ava:

• It was named as Marvel of synthetic intelligence.
• Reveals her potential to outwit and manipulate her human creators, culminating in unforeseen hazards.

Risks:

• AI risk can drastically change as the technology’s capabilities become clearer.
• The immediate risks might be more tangible, such as ensuring that an AI system does not malfunction in its day-to-day tasks.
• Long-term risks: AI’s role in society and its implications for humanity.

Concerns about the amalgamation of AI and biotechnology:

• To Fundamentally alter human existence by manipulating human emotions, thoughts, and desires.
• Statement by the Center for AI Safety: More than 350 AI professionals have voiced their concerns over the potential risks posed by AI technology.
• If the essential infrastructure such as water and electricity increasingly rely on AI.
  • Any malfunction or manipulation of such AI systems could disrupt these pivotal services
  • It will potentially hamper societal functions and public well-being.
• A ‘runaway AI’ could cause more harm — such as the manipulation of crucial systems such as water distribution or the alteration of chemical balances in water supplies
  • It may cause catastrophic repercussions even if such probabilities appear distant.
• The evolution to human-level AI that is capable of outperforming human cognitive tasks will mark a pivotal shift in these risks.
• AIs might undergo rapid self-improvement, culminating in a super-intelligence that far outpaces human intellect.
  • The potential of this super-intelligence acting on misaligned, corrupted or malicious goals presents dire scenarios.

Challenges:

• Aligning AI with universally accepted human values.
• The rapid pace of AI advancement, spurred by market pressures, often eclipses safety considerations, raising concerns about unchecked AI development.
• Governance: lack of a unified global approach to AI regulation can be detrimental to the foundational objective of AI governance — to ensure the long-term safety and ethical deployment of AI technologies.
• The AI Index from Stanford University reveals that legislative bodies in 127 countries passed 37 laws that included the words “artificial intelligence”.
• There is a conspicuous absence of collaboration and cohesive action at the international level, and so long-term risks associated with AI cannot be mitigated.
• If a country such as China does not enact regulations on AI while others do, it would likely gain a competitive edge in terms of AI advancements and deployments.
• Unregulated progress can lead to the development of AI systems that may be misaligned with global ethical standards, creating a risk of unforeseen and potentially irreversible consequences.
  • It could result in destabilization and conflict, undermining international peace and security.
• Nations engaging in rigorous AI safety protocols may be at a disadvantage
  • Encouraging a race to the bottom where safety and ethical considerations are neglected in favor of rapid development and deployment.
• The uneven playing field can inadvertently encourage other nations to loosen their regulatory frameworks to maintain competitiveness, thereby further compromising global AI safety.

What steps need to be taken?

• European Union’s AI Act: It adopts a ‘risk-based’ approach, tying the severity of risk to the area of AI deployment.
  • However, tying risk solely to the deployment area is an oversimplified strategy.
  • It might overlook certain risks that are not directly tied to the deployment area.
  • A more holistic view of AI risks is necessary to ensure comprehensive and effective regulation and oversight.

Ethical Issues with AI:

Way Forward

• The confluence of technology with warfare amplifies long-term risks.
  • Addressing the perils of military AI is crucial.
• The international community has formed treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to manage such potent technologies
  • Demonstrating that establishing global norms for AI in warfare is a pressing but attainable goal.
• Treaties such as the Chemical Weapons Convention are further examples of international accord in restricting hazardous technologies.
  • Nations must delineate where AI deployment is unacceptable and enforce clear norms for its role in warfare.
• India can assume leadership in how regulators address children and adolescents who are a critical demographic in this context.
• Regulation should avoid prescriptions and instead embrace standards, strong institutions, and best practices which imbue openness, trust, and accountability.
• As we move towards a new law to regulate harms on the Internet, and look to establish our thought leadership on global AI regulation, the interests of our young citizens must be front and center.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

What are the different elements of cyber security ? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy.(UPSC 2022)(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)