The Wisdom of Crowds in AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is destined to change the world as we know it; yet, in doing so humanity must play an indispensable role in its manifestation.

There is a choice. A person can apply AI to create good, such as universal knowledge and health, or bad, such as destruction and chaos.

There are countless examples of how AI is being harnessed for good, but when it is wickedly used it can be horrific. For example, a person could use AI to imperceptibly take down the electrical grid, thus proving that AI can be more destructive than a hydrogen bomb.

Therefore, as team members, civil servants, and observers, it is our collective responsibility to discourage anyone from using AI in a way that could lead to something that we intuitively and collectively know is undeniably “bad.” It is up to us, the “crowd,” to ensure the choice leads to the greater good of society.

To prevent malicious acts, we should be cognizant of the consequences of applying AI technology and shun complacency. It takes courage to get engaged, ask the tough questions, and have the intellectual humility to seek counsel so as to ultimately do the right thing.

As with the application of any technology, moral principles and business ethics must play a prominent role in the application of AI. One litmus test to ensure AI is used for good is to apply the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Would you want someone to callously use your DNA’s genetic sequence to clone you?

Most decisions are better made by a group of well-intentioned and informed individuals, than by any single elite member of the group.

Like statistical sampling, a diverse collection of critically thinking individuals are more likely to make far-reaching decisions better than an expert. This phenomenon is brilliantly illustrated in The Master Algorithm, a best-seller written by Pedro Domingos. In his book, Domingos elicits thought provoking ideas in millions of readers, the “crowd,” with the hope of encouraging them to craft the ultimate learning algorithm, one capable of discovering all knowledge from data and performing any task we desire - before we even ask. Similarly, organizations such as Wikipedia, global standards bodies, and open source communities have used this crowdsourcing approach to collaborate and self-regulate. Institutions involved in developing AI should consider using this approach to encourage their members to predict the consequences of their actions and then apply reasoning, ethics, and processes to take the right course of action, even if it is simply espousing a slogan such as “Do no evil.”

Knowing that the communal value of society is greater than that of an individual, we all should collaborate to steer AI in the right direction. Together, we can make a difference since we all share a common underlying morality that transcends borders, cultures and the test of time.

So let’s get involved starting today. Ponder the future of AI, philosophize a bit, delve into first principles, explore the metaphysical connection, and share your constructive thoughts.