Researchers call for harnessing, regulation of AI

Artificial intelligence appears to be "widening inequality," and its deployment should be subject to tough regulations and limits, especially for sensitive technologies such as facial recognition, a research report said Thursday. The AI Now Institute, a New York University center studying the social implications of artificial intelligence, said that as these technologies become widely deployed, the negative impacts are starting to emerge. The 93-page report examined concerns being raised "from AI-enabled management of workers, to algorithmic determinations of benefits and social services, to surveillance and tracking of immigrants and underrepresented communities," the researchers wrote. "What becomes clear is that across diverse domains and contexts, AI is widening inequality, placing information and control in the hands of those who already have power and further disempowering those who don't." The researchers said AI systems are being deployed in areas such as healthcare, education, employment, criminal justice "without appropriate safeguards or accountability structures in place."