While AI and machine learning are enabling definite advances in the digital world, these technologies are also raising privacy and ethical concerns. What does AI mean for personal privacy, and is it being exploited unethically? Are these concerns being addressed, or will AI spell disaster for society? Bernd Stahl is coordinator of the EU's SHERPA project, a consortium that investigates the impact of AI on ethics and human rights. Bernd stopped by for episode 34 of Cyber Security Sauna to discuss the delicate balance of AI – its advantages and disadvantages, potential misuses and how AI may improve life and create opportunity for some, while others may be hurt by algorithmic biases and unemployment. Listen, or read on for the transcript. And don't forget to subscribe, rate and review! Janne: So Bernd, how would you frame the work that the SHERPA project is doing? Bernd: SHERPA is trying to explore which ethical issues arise due to the use of AI. We're looking at human rights components in a variety of ways, and we are, as part of the overall work of the project, trying to explore which options of addressing possible ethical and human rights issues exist, which ones of those are important, and which ones of those need to be emphasized. Overall we hope to come up with a set of recommendations and proposals for the European Commission, but also for other stakeholders, that will help them deal with any issues that they may encounter.

Tuned in the digital matrix, we are shaping the global economy and adding to the problem of uncompetitive markets. Rather than being regarded as capital, should data be treated as labor? Each and every one of us has multiple jobs, whether we know it or not. Right now, while reading this, you are generating data for Silicon Valley's biggest giants; improving, upgrading, correcting, advancing, augmenting various artificial intelligence entities, tools of companies like Google and Facebook. That is what the authors of a fascinating new report claim.