A future driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is often depicted as one paved with improvements across every aspect of life--from health, to jobs, to how we connect. But cracks in this utopia are starting to appear, particularly as we glimpse how AI can also be used to surveil, discriminate, and cause other harms. What existing legal frameworks can protect us from the dark side of this brave new world of technology? Facial recognition is a good example of an AI-driven technology that is starting to have a dramatic human impact. When facial recognition is used to unlock a smartphone, the risk of harm is low, but the stakes are much higher when it is used for policing.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to permeate all aspects of our lives, questions of ethics and fairness are being vehemently debated. In a recent survey of IT professionals -- presented by Roger Taylor, chair of Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, at the Mobile World Congress 2019 -- 85% stated that their biggest concern was ethics. From gender-biased recruitment tools to racist computers, the implications of AI bias have begun to make themselves seen, heard and felt in a big way. As a leader in enterprise-level data for AI and having worked with speech technology for nearly two decades, I believe we have a responsibility to identify and eliminate bias in AI. But why is it such a huge challenge and how realistic are our hopes of banishing it altogether?

This article is part of Demystifying AI, a series of posts that (try to) disambiguate the jargon and myths surrounding AI. Where will humans fit in a world where robots outsmart them? This is the focus of a heated debate between thought leaders and tech billionaires. Some believe we're steadily meandering toward an AI apocalypse, where humans are either obliterated or enslaved by robots, and we must act quickly to prevent it. Others will tell you that artificial intelligence will always be the subservient best friend of mankind, even when it outwits its creators, and we should move ahead with developing AI at full speed.

Where will humans fit in a world where robots outsmart them? This is the focus of a heated debate between thought leaders and tech billionaires. Some believe we're steadily meandering toward an AI apocalypse, where humans are either obliterated or enslaved by robots, and we must act quickly to prevent it. Others will tell you that artificial intelligence will always be the subservient best friend of mankind, even when it outwits its creators, and we should move ahead with developing AI at full speed. And there's no arguing that we are at the doorsteps--or in the midst--of the biggest technological revolution of mankind's history, where everything is being connected to the internet, data is in abundance and AI algorithms are permeating every domain.