AI has application in cyber-security but needs an ethical basis say Lords

A House of Lords Committee report today warns that even though the UK has what it takes to become a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence, such new technologies should not come at the price of data rights or privacy of individuals, families or communities. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Internet users from across the world have rightly questioned the sanctity of their personal data, how much data is being used by companies, who they are shared with, and how much data is being used to create individual profiles that can be targeted via social media. Similar is the case with artificial intelligence technologies that are being increasingly adopted by companies from across the world. Some of the cutting-edge technologies being used commercially include recognising voices, understanding people's behavioural patterns, their likes and dislikes, their working hours, their driving routes, the devices they use etc. These technologies are then incorporated into'smart devices' that behave as digital assistants - playing their owners' favourite songs, synchronising their emails, adjusting their schedules etc. However, these technologies utilise a well-known concept, machine learning, and such learning requires the collection of vast amounts of data, or in other words, personally identifiable and sensitive data belonging to individuals.