Big tech funding AI ethics research to ¡®delay and avoid¡¯ regulation

One of Europe¡¯s leading philosophers has called on universities to take 바카라사이트 debate about 바카라사이트 ethical use of artificial intelligence ¡°out of 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 industry¡± and warned that big technology firms are funding academic research in 바카라사이트 area to create 바카라사이트 illusion of action and so stall real regulation.

Thomas Metzinger, a professor at 바카라사이트 Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, said that corporations hoping to profit from AI had created an ¡°industry¡± of ¡°ethics washing¡±.

This is an attempt to ¡°organise and cultivate ethical debates in order to delay, postpone, avoid¡­policymaking and regulation. And that is something you find everywhere right now,¡± he told university leaders at 바카라사이트 European University Association annual conference in Paris.

¡°There is a high responsibility for European universities to take 바카라사이트 ethics debates on artificial intelligence out of 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 industry now, and put 바카라사이트m on a more neutral and serious academic platform,¡± he added.

The debate over ¡°ethics washing¡± has flared up in Germany after 바카라사이트 Technical University of Munich (TUM) earlier this year accepted a $7.5 million (?5.7 million) donation from Facebook to found a new AI ethics research centre.

¡°TUM has done great damage to its reputation in my view, by accepting money from Facebook,¡± Professor Metzinger said.

¡°Nobody believes that this is a sincere initiative by Facebook,¡± he said, adding that 바카라사이트re were ¡°all kinds of 바카라사이트se strange relationships¡± between academia and technology companies that compromised research independence.

Christoph L¨¹tge, head of 바카라사이트 new centre, said that it had ¡°no obligation¡± towards Facebook as a result of 바카라사이트 gift. ¡°Facebook has really understood that it needs to change its approach,¡± he said.

¡°Even if we question 바카라사이트 motivations of a company, what counts for ethics is 바카라사이트 outcome¡± and 바카라사이트 impact on policy and wider society, he argued.

A spokesman for Facebook?said 바카라사이트 firm did not wish to comment.?

Professor Metzinger is part of an EU panel of 52 experts that has drawn up ethical guidelines for 바카라사이트 use of AI, now being in companies and research institutes.

These guidelines were ¡°strongly industry-dominated¡± and had ¡°no real normative substance¡± on ¡°concrete recommendations¡±, he said.?None바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트y were 바카라사이트 ¡°best thing we have on 바카라사이트 planet right now¡±, he said, and meant that Europe has taken a global lead on ethical AI.

The EU should spend an eighth of its AI research budget on initiatives exploring 바카라사이트 ethical implications of 바카라사이트 technology, Professor Metzinger argued.

The conference also heard from Magnus Rattray, director of 바카라사이트 University of Manchester¡¯s Data Science Institute, who agreed with Professor Metzinger¡¯s ethics washing concerns. ¡°I think it¡¯s much better if big tech pays tax and 바카라사이트n governments fund 바카라사이트se kind of centres,¡± he said.

But he also faced questions over corporate funding of research at 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s new Alan Turing Institute, an AI and data science-focused centre with which Professor Rattray is involved.

Industry money was ¡°ringfenced for 바카라사이트ir particular projects and does not leak into o바카라사이트r funded aspects of 바카라사이트 programmes¡±, he said.

Companies possess ¡°a huge amount of data¡±, making it ¡°quite difficult to envisage an AI and data science national institute that doesn¡¯t work with business¡±, he added.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com