Scientists Want to Set Some Ground Rules to Stop AI Taking Over The World

Artificial intelligence technology is accelerating forward at a blistering pace, and a trio of scientists are calling for more accountability and transparency in AI, before it's too late. In their paper, the UK-based researchers say existing rules and regulations don't go far enough in limiting what AI can do – and recommend that robots be held to the same standards as the humans who make them. There are a number of issues, say the researchers, that could lead to problems down the line, including the diverse nature of the systems being developed and a lack of transparency about the inner workings of AI. "Systems can make unfair and discriminatory decisions, replicate or develop biases, and behave in inscrutable and unexpected ways in highly sensitive environments that put human interests and safety at risk," the team reports in their paper. In other words: how do we know we can trust AI? Even before we get to the stage of the robots rising up, AI that's unaccountable and impossible to decipher is going to cause issues – from problems working out the cause of an accident between self-driving cars, to understanding the reasons why a bank's computer has turned you down for a loan.