Individuals need to be able to have greater personal control over their data, and the way in which it is used. The ways in which data is gathered and accessed needs to change, so that everyone can have fair and reasonable access to data, while citizens and consumers can protect their privacy and personal agency. This means using established concepts, such as open data, ethics advisory boards and data protection legislation, and developing new frameworks and mechanisms, such as data portability and data trusts. So says the House of Lords Select Committee on artificial intelligence (AI) in a report.
The report called for transparency in AI. Chairman of the Committee, Lord Clement-Jones, said: “The UK has a unique opportunity to shape AI positively for the public’s benefit and to lead the international community in AI’s ethical development, rather than passively accept its consequences. The UK contains leading AI companies, a dynamic academic research culture, and a vigorous start-up ecosystem as well as a host of legal, ethical, financial and linguistic strengths. We should make the most of this environment, but it is essential that ethics take centre stage in AI’s development and use.
“AI is not without its risks and the adoption of the principles proposed by the Committee will help to mitigate these. An ethical approach ensures the public trusts this technology and sees the benefits of using it. It will also prepare them to challenge its misuse. We want to make sure that this country remains a cutting-edge place to research and develop this exciting technology. However, start-ups can struggle to scale up on their own. Our recommendations for a growth fund for SMEs and changes to the immigration system will help to do this. We’ve asked whether the UK is ready willing and able to take advantage of AI. With our recommendations, it will be.”
Comment
David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at IT security product company Kaspersky Lab said: “The use of technology brings great benefits – especially so in the case of artificial intelligence and the opportunities this presents. Consumers are clearly prepared to trade their data for the convenience of access to a free product or service. Moreover, the proliferation of smart devices in the home and elsewhere means that more and more personal data can be casually captured and used. However, this shouldn’t come at the expense of people’s privacy or security.
“Consent is a key factor here – ensuring that people offer informed consent before their data is captured, used or passed to third parties. It’s to be hoped that GDPR and its application by the ICO (and similar bodies in other countries) will ensure that this is done. Ethics in AI shouldn’t be an afterthought, regardless of how ‘smart’ a system is. It’s also important to remember that the same data is valuable to cybercriminals. So, it’s also essential that companies that hold data, of whatever kind, take the necessary steps to secure it.”
