AI regulation is critical, says 54% of tech executives

In the midst of a political climate already fraught with distrust, the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to be weaponized is giving pause to tech executives, over half of whom state that regulation of AI is "critical for its safe development," according to the 2019 Edelman Artificial Intelligence survey, conducted in coordination with the World Economic Forum (WEF). The survey found that 54% of tech executives and 60% of the general population said they believe that regulation is necessary. The report cites cases in which AI is used to evaluate attributes about someone's life: "Loan analyses including credit card applications are now often performed using AI algorithms. Yet, how can an algorithm be held accountable if a customer feels that a decision about their credit card application was wrong? Many argue that people have a right to know how decisions that affect them are being made."