If you have been following my AI writing series, you know that I have a mixture of playful curiosity about the future of AI as well as a hesitancy for ethical obligations. I’ve written about how the move to open source could potentially make AI fairer. I’ve written about ethical concerns of AI like Lensa, and even tried the most (in my opinion) balanced one like Character A.I. Finally, you’ve seen me weigh in on the AI wars, which to the surprise of a few people had me rooting for Microsoft to take it all! Why? Reasons like the new statement they put out promising responsible AI and a commitment to open source.
The Responsible AI Toolbox offered by Microsoft is a collection of tools and functionalities that aim to maximize the benefits of AI systems while mitigating harm. The approach is centered around targeted model improvement, which aims to identify solutions to the causes of specific failures. Biased information potentially learned is one of those that they recognize already needs solutions. This is an excellent example of how technology companies can use their resources and expertise to address the ethical challenges associated with AI.
There are several reasons why an open-source approach is so important. For one, freely available tools for responsible AI can be an educational resource for learning and teaching the practice of responsible AI. Why is that important? This means that more people will have access to the tools and the knowledge needed to use them effectively, which can help to ensure that AI is developed and deployed in an ethical and responsible way. It will also cut down on harmful learning!
Also, developing responsible AI that is intuitive, effective, and valuable should be the end goal. This can help users consider potential harms and their mitigation from the beginning when developing a new model. The result can be more confidence that the work they’re doing supports safer, fairer, and more reliable AI because it was designed that way.
With what has been presented, I want Microsoft to win. However, ultimately I want there to be even more competition when it comes to ethical and responsible artificial intelligence building. Google has had issues in the past with people questioning their AI approaches. I would be dishonest if I said this didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth. However, I believe Google has had time to grow, and I hope they do right by their past detractors and their future technology. If they are competing for the best AI search engine overall, that is something they will HAVE to do. By addressing the ethical challenges associated with AI, Microsoft is setting an example for other technology companies to follow.
The AI wars haven’t even reached a peak beginning yet but I’m already seeing great changes. Who will come out on top, I don’t think anyone can say right now but I am for the most responsible and ethical way to change our world. Many people think there’s no simple way to change the world. That we are too varied and set in our ways. While I don’t disagree or agree with them, I think at least having these conversations may lead to people and possibly machines that have the answers we need.