Artificial intelligence—one would either want it or is afraid of it. For those who want it, the question becomes how they can get it. After all, many believe that it requires a large amount of financial investment and technical expertise. Meanwhile, many people who don’t want AI worry that they’re creating something they can’t control. They might be right because many companies are using AI without thinking about the ethical implications involved.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. You can have AI, and you can govern it, too, with strong AI governance practices in place. One way is to have managed IT services to take care of your cloud solutions, user support, and many others.
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Top tips to Improve AI Adoption
If you’re on your own, here are six tips to help your business embrace all the good of AI while steering clear of the bad:
1. Don’t Use AI To Treat People As An Average
In a world where people are becoming more reliant on technology, one of the biggest concerns is that AI systems will collect data and treat people as a group. However, people don’t all eat the same food, behave the same way, or have the same preferences. Everyone is on their own, and it’s essential to keep that in mind when designing AI systems.
Thus, when AI is used to market your products and services on social media, it’s essential to consider the impact of generalizing groups of people. If you’re trying to sell a product, for example, don’t target users based on the assumption that all men like sports. If you do, and your belief is wrong, you’re creating a problem that hasn’t existed before.
2. Understand The Difference Between Subjective And Objective AI
AI exists in two forms—subjective and objective. Subjective means that AI is programmed to learn how it’s supposed to act based on data. There are benefits to subjective AI systems because they can make decisions faster than human beings. However, when misused, they can create biased systems. Also, even when you program with good ethical standards, the AI will be prejudiced by word choice, dialect, and slang.
Experts suggest that objective AI is preferable to subjective because it acts consistently with an unbiased system. It also makes sense for businesses because if their designs are based on objective decisions instead of subjective ones, they’ll create broader customer groups. Combining this strategy with the wide availability of marketing channels, communication with your audience will be easier.
3. Use AI For Good, Not Just Profit
AI systems are used for all sorts of purposes—some are good, while some, are bad. One example of improper use is when police departments use facial recognition technology to collect data on people attending protests or other events. Another example involves companies using AI to mine employee emails without their knowledge.
If you’re using AI, think carefully about how it can be used for good instead of evil. Picture, for example, landing a plane when the pilot is incapacitated. The technology that takes its place will likely be an AI system that analyzes all available data and acts accordingly. It’ll be acting in the best interests of all passengers, not for the sake of self-preservation.
4. Understand The Human Impact Of AI
No matter how intelligent AI may be, it ultimately has to answer people. Because of this, companies can be held responsible for any error or mistake made by their algorithms. Failing to consider the human impact of AI may result in unintended consequences, such as job loss due to automation or racism created by machine bias.
For example, facial recognition software mistakenly identifies African-Americans as criminals more often than white people due to their reliance on preexisting data. That type of oversight can have a devastating effect on a company’s reputation and can negate the intended purpose of an AI project.
5. Take The Initiative To Educate Your Users
While it’s essential to design AI systems that people can understand and trust, you should also consider making your users more educated. If you can teach your users about the positive impact of AI and help them understand how it works, they’ll be in a better position to trust your AI solution and use it to its fullest potential.
To do this, consider using a visual interface to teach users about your AI. If you can show them what goes on behind the scenes, they’ll understand how computers can function as intelligently as people. Also, seminars and workshops can help people become more familiar with AI and how it works.
6. Create A Governance Board And Guidelines
If you’re dealing with an AI solution, you’ll need to establish governance guidelines and create a board responsible for managing the AI system. This will help you keep your project under control, while also addressing any negative impact on users.
For example, if you’re using AI to help drive your recruitment system, your governance board might have rules about how long personal data can be stored, who can access it, and why. Having a governance board also means that you’ll have representatives from different teams working together, which means each team will be less likely to veer off-course.
Bottomline
AI is a powerful technology that can help your business integrate cutting-edge solutions into its systems. At the same time, it has a high risk of causing unintended consequences or creating negative impacts in people’s lives. To help you mitigate these risks and make sure AI is implemented relatively, consider following the tips given in your own AI system.
