Expert: People must have control over AI

Society can benefit from the new wave of technical revolution being unleashed by artificial intelligence, but must make sure that it remains under the control of humans, an expert said on Thursday.

Fu Xiaolan, a fellow at the National Academy of Social Sciences in the United Kingdom, was speaking at Vision China, which was organized by China Daily and the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee's publicity department.

The convergence of rapid technological breakthroughs has created new models of value production and a new industrial revolution, said Fu, who is also the founding director of Oxford University's Technology and Management Center for Development.

"Artificial intelligence is one of the core technologies at the heart of this revolution," she said. "The impact of artificial intelligence on society includes opportunities and challenges."

Fu highlighted the "wonderful opportunities for development" — greater efficiency, improvement of work conditions and welfare.

She cited the use of AI doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, and the opportunity the technology provides to developing countries that could enable them to skip some stages of development.

She also warned of the challenges created by AI.

"AI can replace workers, including skilled workers, whose jobs are repetitive and routine," she said.

"It can also significantly increase income inequality between rich and poor — those who own the technology and those who don't — and between countries."

AI may also deepen the existing digital divide and favor countries that have the needed skills, she said, adding that there are also privacy and security concerns and that the algorithms may contain embedded bias, which could influence outcomes.

"While globally, AI opens digital windows of opportunity for developing countries, there is also the risk that the opportunity for developing countries to catch up might narrow," Fu said, referring to the rapid rise of AI, as well as the infrastructure needed to develop it.

These challenges have also been highlighted by governments, tech giants, institutes and experts, especially since ChatGPT was launched earlier this year.

In a white paper on regulating AI released in late March, the British government proposed adopting a comprehensive regulatory approach. Italy and Canada have also underscored the data security risks posed by ChatGPT.

Stressing the importance of ensuring AI is responsible and ethical if it is to be useful, Fu emphasized the need to build privacy, robustness, transparency and fairness into the tech, noting that those who develop and employ AI for business and other services should be held accountable.

Trust must be created around the technology so that people have the confidence to use AI for economic and welfare improvement, Fu said.