The Future of AI; Bias Amplification & Algorithmic Determinism

Technology provides us with the toolkit to change lives for the better – but if unchecked, it also has the power to discriminate and reinforce stereotypes and bias. This is true of any technology past, present and future. But it is the advancement of distributed systems capable of storing and processing massive amounts of previously disparate data coupled with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) into our everyday lives that requires us to urgently refocus on how technology is being architected, engineered, tested, deployed and governed, to ensure that its impact remains positive – and only positive. Whether we explicitly asked for it or not, the fact is that, today and right at this very moment, artificial intelligence is impacting your life. The majority of the time, AI is invisible to us – whenever we enter a search term into Google, visit websites, use social media, browse Netflix, use online banking, use public transport or walk the streets of any major city, AI algorithms are busy working away in the background to return relevant search results, analyse your browsing habits, social network, viewing preferences, detect signs of fraud and to capture an image of, and process, your face.