The state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics: 14 interesting statistics

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rapid increase in the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems due to an increased need for automation, advanced analytics, and remote work. In fact, machine learning and other forms of AI are being applied to address the increasing scale of the pandemic itself. Now, say experts, is a good time to step back and consider the ethics of these (and all) AI applications. "These past few months have been especially challenging, and the deployment of technology in ways hitherto untested at an unrivaled pace has left the internet and technology watchers aghast," Abhishek Gupta, founder of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute, said in the introduction to that organization's inaugural State of AI Ethics report this June. "It has never been more important that we keep a sharp eye out on the development of this field and how it is shaping our society and interactions with each other."