Doha, Qatar – At one of the world's largest technology conferences, whether it was on the main stage, its side panels, or at the dozens of glitzy, towering company booths, there was one term on everybody's lips: artificial intelligence (AI). At Web Summit – held for the first time in the Middle East in Doha – and which wrapped up on Thursday, entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders from around the world were all talking about AI's capabilities. Yet alongside that excitement, there are also growing concerns among experts that these technologies could exacerbate inequities dividing the world. Technologies, including AI, run the risk of amplifying biases that already exist, according to Ayo Tometi, co-creator of the US-based antiracist movement Black Lives Matter. "We're seeing quite literally, that prejudice is being programmed into the technologies that are being deployed in our communities. And these biases must be addressed," Tometi said at the summit.

US activist raises concerns over racial bias in AI Urges software developers to listen more to Black people Wrongful arrest in US caused by faulty facial recognition Lisbon playing host to Europe's largest tech event LISBON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - (This Nov. 3 story corrects to change BLM co-founder first name to Ayo from Opal at her request) As concerns grow over racial bias in artificial intelligence, Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Ayo Tometi urged the tech sector to act fast against perpetuating racism in systems such as facial recognition. Artificial intelligence is transforming the world and can be applied in diverse sectors, from improving the early detection of diseases to sorting out data and solving complex problems, but there are also concerns around it. "A lot of the algorithms, a lot of the data is racist," U.S. activist Tometi, who co-founded BLM in 2013, told Reuters on the sidelines of Lisbon's Web Summit. "We need tech to truly understand every way it (racism) shows up in the technologies they are developing," she said. The tech industry has faced a reckoning over the past few years over the ethics of AI technologies, with critics saying such systems could compromise privacy, target marginalised groups and normalise intrusive surveillance.