Artificial Intelligence (A. I.)- Part 1

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

- American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Article 3, United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Every human being, regardless of their race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status are endowed with what is known as “ Fundamental Human Rights”. These rights are Inalienable, that is, they cannot be taken from them.

In recent times, the world of technology has witnessed the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) in ways that have never been seen before. The use of A.I. has increased in such dimensions that simply baffle the mind. Yet, and like any new thing, the borders of A.I are blurred and undefined. It is so easy for this new technology to get into the wrong hands and when it does, its capacity for evil simply boggles the mind.

A.I has unlimited capacity to remove all the rights and freedoms of an individual in a profoundly debasing way. Unfortunately, when such tools are used by an authority figure, then the question is this:

“Who will stand up for the oppressed?”

So, what is Artificial Intelligence?

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines it as:

“The power of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior.”

This is the simplest definition of A. I. The use of A.I. is more complex than its definition.

There is a good side and a bad side to every human development. These are uncharted waters, and opportunities abound where the use of A.I can lead to a serious erosion of fundamental human rights.

The Government of the United States of America recognizes the fact that A.I, in the wrong hands can lead to severe loss of rights and especially privacy. Thus, it has crafted and formulated a Guideline on the use of A.I.

The “Blueprint for an A.I Bill of Rights,” states as follows:

“Among the great challenges posed to democracy today is the use of technology, data, and automated systems in ways that threaten the rights of the American public. Too often, these tools are used to limit our opportunities and prevent our access to critical resources or services. These problems are well documented.

In America and around the world, systems supposed to help with patient care have proven unsafe, ineffective, or biased. Algorithms used in hiring and credit decisions have been found to reflect and reproduce existing unwanted inequities or embed new harmful bias and discrimination. Unchecked social media data collection has been used to threaten people’s opportunities, undermine their privacy, or pervasively track their activity—often without their knowledge or consent.

These outcomes are deeply harmful—but they are not inevitable. Automated systems have brought about extraordinary benefits, from technology that helps farmers grow food more efficiently and computers that predict storm paths, to algorithms that can identify diseases in patients. These tools now drive important decisions across sectors, while data is helping to revolutionize global industries. Fueled by the power of American innovation, these tools hold the potential to redefine every part of our society and make life better for everyone.

This important progress must not come at the price of civil rights or democratic values, foundational American principles that President Biden has affirmed as a cornerstone of his Administration.

On his first day in office, the President ordered the full Federal government to work to root out inequity, embed fairness in decision-making processes, and affirmatively advance civil rights, equal opportunity, and racial justice in America. The President has spoken forcefully about the urgent challenges posed to democracy today and has regularly called on people of conscience to act to preserve civil rights—including the right to privacy, which he has called “the basis for so many more rights that we have come to take for granted that are ingrained in the fabric of this country.”

To advance President Biden’s vision, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has identified five principles that should guide the design, use, and deployment of automated systems to protect the American public in the age of artificial intelligence. The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights is a guide for a society that protects all people from these threats—and uses technologies in ways that reinforce our highest values.” ( Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ai-bill-of-rights/)

There are 5 Principles to help provide guidance with the use of Artificial Intelligence. These are:

1. You should be protected from unsafe or ineffective system.

2. You should not face discrimination by algorithms and systems should be used and designed in an equitable way.

3. You should be protected from abusive data practices via built-in protections and you should have agency over how data about you is used.