When it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is a widespread fear that AI machines will “take over” and dominate humanity. Today, we should be concerned when governments and digital corporations use AI to replace trust as the fundamental value and principle in the digital domain.

Trust is the main currency of the Internet.

In a previous post¹, I mentioned the pivotal role trust plays in the digital domain: “Trust is the main currency of the Internet, as without it, even the best-engineered digital technologies become useless. Digital business is a trusting business. Lose users’/customers’ trust, and they may never return. To overcome the problem, corporations use marketing to replace ethics as the source of trustworthiness. There comes the point where the negative impact and disruption of technology and its related product or service becomes so large that even the most powerful corporation can no longer maintain its value proposition.”

Intelligent?

There are many ways to define and categorize AI, and at the moment, it is not always clear what we are talking about.² Even the term AI is misleading, “machine learning” is a better description of what is going on. Today’s AI is anything but intelligent; it uses statistical predictions to “learn” and mimic “intelligence.” ³ The term “machine learning” takes on a new meaning as AI teaches humans to think like a machine. The goal is to use data to replace what the machine cannot process or control: critical thinking. We visit a library to find out the answer to a question you have. The librarian will bring you all the books that, according to her classification records and experience, might contain the answers. We still have to use our critical thinking to determine what the answer is. AI replaces critical thinking with data processed by algorithms using statistical probability and directed by pre-determined values.

More Spin than Substance

“Machine learning ” does not have the same ring, is not drawing so much attention and is not as marketable as calling it “Artificial Intelligence.” Today’s AI is more PR spin than substance. AI stands in a long row of digital game changers such as IoT and Blockchain. Like all of the above, what we call AI is a development step from older technological models such as data-driven marketing and self-driving cars.⁴ The hype is needed to get the attention of marketplaces, investors, customers and politicians. It does not happen by accident; it is planned and executed for specific purposes. Even “crying wolf” and warning against the dangers of AI by those who were instrumental in its development serve to increase their power to control the narrative.⁵

Mixing Facts with Science Fiction

The lack of critical thinking results in AI answers that typically mix facts with science fiction.

When the author asked AI chatbot ChatGTP: “How can AI invade my privacy?” it answers: “AI has the potential to invade your privacy in several ways…”, and continues to list several methods how, such as: data collection, surveillance, predictive analytics, and hacking. (The full text of all ChatGTP quotes is available in the endnotes⁶)

Asked how AI can protect us from AI invading our privacy, the answer becomes very vague⁷. Completely ignoring that the harm is done here and now, we are referred to technological solutions somewhere in the future: “As AI technology becomes more advanced…”

Who made a hole in my wall?

The proprietors of AI are like burglars that routinely invade the privacy of our homes. They prefer to dig a hole in the wall as this is easier than breaking through the securely padlocked front door. They justify this by arguing that it is your responsibility to secure the walls and not just the door against their tools:

ChatGTP: “To protect your privacy from AI, it’s essential to be aware of the data that you share online and take steps to limit it. You can also use privacy-focused tools such as VPNs, anti-tracking browser extensions, and privacy-focused search engines. Additionally, you can regularly review your privacy settings and be cautious about giving apps and services access to your data”.

AI applications have a tough time understanding that breaking into the house in the first place might be wrong, as the stolen data is ostensibly used to serve their human customers better. The victims of AI can take solace in the fact that help is on the way as the burglars are busy developing security devices for your walls, and help will eventually arrive:

ChatGTP: “Overall, the use of AI to protect privacy is still in its early stages, but researchers and developers are actively exploring new techniques to enhance privacy protections in the era of AI.”

A New Wrapping Paper for Old Misdeeds

This brings us back to the topic of trust. It is no secret that digital marketplaces do not want to be hampered by annoying questions concerning their ability to act in accordance with their responsibilities. Huge parts of the digital ecosystem seem to be incapable of generating the trust they need to be responsible actors who respect the rights of others and seek the common good. The rights of others and tech developers’ own responsibilities are seen as obstacles to digital innovation and the power and profits that come with it. Consequently, their answer is that trust needs to be replaced by something controlled by private or governmental entities and something that can be presented and sold to the public as equal and even better than old-fashioned human rights and responsibilities. That something is data.

Once AI has secured data by whatever means, AI assumes the right to do with it whatever it wants. The answer AI gives to the question of how to protect your privacy is: “If you don’t want to get hurt, it is your responsibilities to keep your data away from me!”

The main purpose of today’s AI is not to serve humanity but to develop machines that offer infinitely greater abilities to manipulate facts and people according to the political and economic needs of their proprietors, who will hide the truth behind an insurmountable wall of manipulated data.

“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

By instrumentalizing data, corporations and governments only do what they did before, but now only better. Like new wrapping paper for old misdeeds, AI represents data as a better solution to values in determining what is right and wrong. The proprietors of AI machines seem to say: “If you cannot trust us, trust the machines we create.” Who can argue with facts generated by a machine with abilities that see infinitely greater than that of any human?

We need a new ethical approach to AI to avoid having the conversation Dave Bowman had with the AI entity HAL 9000 in the 1968, Stanley Kubrick film: 2001: A Space Odyssey ⁸

Dave Bowman : Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL : I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Dave Bowman : What’s the problem?
HAL : I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Bowman : What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL : This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Bowman : I don’t know what you’re talking about, HAL.
HAL : I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.⁹

The proprietors of today’s AI define the mission as too important to allow us to jeopardize it. Planning to disconnect that’s something they cannot allow to happen.

The Domain Name System (DNS), as an Example of Ethical Engineering

The machines we engineer always have an ethical dimension as they reflect and contain human views and values. The question is not if but which ethical values they adhere to. The intelligence of a machine should not be determined by its prowess to crunch data but by its ethical abilities. Making ethical decisions is infinitely more difficult than crunching data.

The DNS and the Root Server System (RSS), in which it is housed, might be able to show us the direction toward ethical, intelligent engineering. They reflect clear universal ethical principles such as diversity, integrity, transparency, collaboration, engagement, autonomy, independence, neutrality, and impartiality, resulting in stability, reliability, resiliency and, most importantly, trust. I can trust the DNS because it has ethical values engineered into it. I cannot trust a chatbot because he lacks universal ethical principles.

We need to stop looking at AI as a proprietary technology controlled by the few affecting the lives of the many. Using anonymized data, AI needs to be seen as a common good. It will require its own governance mechanisms, and we can only hope that we will apply the lessons learned from the governance of the DNS.¹⁰

The above post was previously published on the IITF Human Rights in the digital Domain Blog.