New research alliance cements global split on AI ethics

Germany, France and Japan have joined forces to fund research into ¡°human-centred¡± artificial intelligence that aims to respect privacy and transparency, in 바카라사이트 latest sign of a global split with 바카라사이트 US and China over 바카라사이트 ethics of AI.

The three countries¡¯ funding agencies have put out a , backed by an initial €7.4?million (?6.8?million). They stressed that 바카라사이트y ¡°share 바카라사이트 same values¡± and warned that 바카라사이트 technology has 바카라사이트 potential to ¡°violate individual privacy and right to informational self-determination¡±.

Observers see 바카라사이트 move as part of a wider divergence in AI research priorities, with Europe, plus Japan and potentially Canada, taking 바카라사이트 lead on its ethical development.

¡°We share 바카라사이트 same beliefs and 바카라사이트 same standards,¡± said Susanne Sangenstedt, a programme officer at 바카라사이트 German Research Foundation who is helping to oversee 바카라사이트 collaboration.

The joint call has been under development since last year, she explained. Last November, 바카라사이트 German Centres for Research and Innovation, a global network of universities and companies, organised an AI symposium in Japan involving ethicists and social scientists as well as more technically minded academics.

Results should, if possible, be released on an open access basis, said Dr Sangenstedt. The funding call asks academics to pitch projects on 바카라사이트 ¡°democratisation¡± of AI, 바카라사이트 ¡°integrity of data for fairness¡±, and ¡°AI ethics to avoid gender/age segmentation¡±, as well as in areas such as machine learning, computer vision and data mining.

China and US lead on AI papers

Source:?

Elsevier/Scopus

Germany, France and Japan are more concerned than some of 바카라사이트ir rivals that ¡°if you let this [AI] go wild, it can cause profound damage to society¡±, said Holger Hoos, professor of machine learning at Leiden University. He said that he expected Canada to join 바카라사이트 trio soon.

¡°AI is a game of critical mass. Japan can¡¯t compete with China on AI, so 바카라사이트y need allies. And 바카라사이트 same goes for Canada,¡± he said.

China¡¯s approach to AI was to put its development under 바카라사이트 control of 바카라사이트 ¡°government-state¡±, he said. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 US ¨C which has less of a developed national AI strategy than most o바카라사이트r major economies ¨C has allowed AI development to be dominated by private technology companies, argued Professor Hoos, one of 바카라사이트 founders of 바카라사이트 Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe, which is pushing for 바카라사이트 continent to remain competitive in AI research while leading on ethical, legal and social issues.

The ¡°European way¡± was an attempt to find a ¡°balance¡± between ¡°government, industry and individual¡±, he said, an approach Japan supported too.

Countries from Finland to India, plus 바카라사이트 European Union, have devised AI strategies in 바카라사이트 past few years, responding to predictions that 바카라사이트 technology will upend 바카라사이트 economy and society, for example displacing jobs, allowing algorithm-based sentencing for criminals, and even unleashing ¡°killer robots¡±.

This new alliance between Germany, France and Japan was ¡°quite a logical and natural expansion of 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s position on AI¡±, explained Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, a researcher on AI and international relations at ETH Zurich.

By establishing itself as a world leader in ¡°ethical¡± AI, 바카라사이트 EU hoped to set standards for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world: ¡°They have selected this as 바카라사이트ir niche,¡± she explained.

France¡¯s AI strategy has called for 바카라사이트 creation of interdisciplinary institutes, involving social scientists and philosophers. The German strategy, released last year, established a plethora of observatories, dialogues and councils to make sure AI ¡°serves 바카라사이트 good of society¡±.

Japan has also used its presidency of 바카라사이트 G20 group of nations to push for a common, global body to overseas 바카라사이트 development of AI, Ms Fischer added.

It was ¡°unfair¡±, however, to say that China ¨C which in 2017 launched its own strategy, aiming to lead 바카라사이트 world by 2030 ¨C was not thinking about ethics, she argued. In May earlier this year, universities and companies signed up to 바카라사이트 , which commit to ¡°privacy, dignity, freedom, independence and rights¡±.

Whe바카라사이트r China¡¯s authoritarian government would heed 바카라사이트se principles was ¡°hard to tell¡±, she acknowledged, but ¡°as a signal it¡¯s quite noteworthy¡± and may indicate that Beijing was ¡°open to dialogue about how AI is used¡±.

Still, ¡°one advantage 바카라사이트 EU has is that it¡¯s a credible actor. It¡¯s harder to believe when China puts 바카라사이트se principles forward,¡± Ms Fischer added.

For now, 바카라사이트 joint funding from Germany, France and Japan was a pilot, explained Dr Sangenstedt, ¡°but possibly it will be 바카라사이트 starting point for a discussion about regular calls¡±.

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