Artificial Intelligence: A Policy-Oriented Introduction

Technological advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to be pervasive, with impacts and ramifications in health, economics, security and governance. In combination with other emerging and converging technologies, AI has the potential to transform our society through better decision-making a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2017
Main Authors: Bowser, Anne, Sloan, Michael, Michelucci, Pietro, Pauwels, Eleonore
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Government
Information technology
Science/Technology
Social conditions & trends
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Technological advances in artificial intelligence (AI) promise to be pervasive, with impacts and ramifications in health, economics, security and governance. In combination with other emerging and converging technologies, AI has the potential to transform our society through better decision-making and improvements to the human condition. But, without adequate risk assessment and mitigation, AI may pose a threat to existing vulnerabilities in our defenses, economic systems, and social structures. Recognizing the increasing integration of technology in society, this policy brief grounds the present excitement around AI in an objective analysis of capability trends before summarizing perceived benefits and risks. It also introduces an emerging sub-field of AI known as Human Computation, which can help achieve future AI capabilities by strategically inserting humans in the loop where pure AI still falls short. Policy recommendations suggest how to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks for science and society, particularly by incorporating human participation into complex socio-technical systems to ensure the safe and equitable development of automated intelligence.