Adding More Data Isn't the Only Way to Improve AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) gets its "intelligence" by analyzing a given dataset and detecting patterns. It has no concept of the world beyond this dataset, which creates a variety of dangers. One changed pixel could confuse the AI system to think a horse is a frog or, even scarier, err on a medical diagnosis or a machine operation. Its exclusive reliance on the data sets also introduces a serious security vulnerability: Malicious agents can spoof the AI algorithm by introducing minor, nearly undetectable changes in the data. Finally, the AI system does not know what it does not know, and it can make incorrect predictions with a high degree of confidence.