Thought for the day: If data is the lifeblood of AI, where will all this data come from? In an age where citizens and government authorities on behalf of citizens, or for their own purposes, are beginning to limit permissible data access and usage, how accessible will the necessary data be? The rise of AI portends more privacy and economic struggles between individuals, companies and algorithms as data thirsty AI needs progressively more “lifeblood” to continue its growth and influence.

Let’s look at AI’s need for data through two metaphorical windows relevant to current major issues U.S. and international societies are struggling with: protests/riots and viral pandemics.

If AI were a protest, how would it behave in its quest for data on which to train its algorithms? The answer to that question depends on many factors, most notably the composition of the protestors and the effectiveness of the security (government) in keeping the protest peaceful and on point. As we’ve seen with the protests occurring in the United States and in Hong Kong, there’s a wide range of protester behavior and perhaps even more variability in governments’ approach to keeping the protests peaceful and on point. The same can undoubtedly be said of AI — it will only be as “peaceful” and benevolent as those who participate in it and those who seek to control it. This will be a story that will play out over the next months, years and decades, but suffice to say that AI’s road to increased utility and even dominance in some areas will not be all smooth sailing and “peaceful protests”.

If AI were a viral pandemic, how would it behave in its quest for more data and increased utility/effectiveness. If the recent history of Covid-19 is any indicator, there would only be a very early opportunity to “control” the spread of the virus (AI) as it expands (spreads) in its quest for more data (hosts). After that early opportunity, the ability to control the spread would be limited and the possibility for human intervention would be relegated to mitigation rather than control. Such a metaphor paints AI in what is, perhaps, too negative a light at this point. In most cases, given that mostly benevolent humans are still in “control” of AI and the direction it takes, the main utility in this metaphor is planting the cautionary seed that AI’s thirst for data, increased effectiveness and even dominance in certain areas is one that has the potential to spread in the future just as a virus such as Covid-19 has.

These are seeds for thought. AI has many incredibly helpful potential uses and the exploration of those uses is extremely exciting, but on the other hand, as this development occurs, we must remain mindful that as much as AI can be used (or use itself, based on algorithms that it may ultimately create on its own) for both good and evil.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay