MC Library Research Guides: Artificial Intelligence: Concerns & Considerations

Bias

The resources listed below discuss bias in AI. Bias can be built into AI tools when algorithms learn from data and text that contain errors or distortions that reinforce inequalities in society.

Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble How biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms.
ISBN: 9781479849949
Publication Date: 2018-02-20

AI ethics groups are repeating one of society’s classic mistakes Councils and advisory boards still contain mostly people based in Europe or the United States. From the MIT Technology Review in 2020.
The AI Inspector A PhD student exposes bias in the huge data sets that train AI systems. From Wired Magazine in 2023.
Black Artists See Clear Bias in A.I. New York Times, 05 July 2023
Towards a standard for identifying and managing bias in artificial intelligence A 2022 report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Misinformation and Hallucinations

Chatbots can accidentally create plausible answers that are false. The New York Times reported in November 2023 that these 'hallucinations' can happen in 3% to 30% of generative AI queries. See the article links below for more information.

More specifically, when ChatGPT is asked to generate citations, it may create links to sources that are not real. For example, a real author might be attached to a made-up journal, or an actual title will be listed next to the wrong facts, with the wrong dates.

Chatbots May 'Hallucinate' More Often Than Many Realize New York Times, 6 November 2023
Don’t Be a Victim of AI Hallucinations Accounting Today, 7 July 2023
AI 'hallucinates.' Some researchers worry it can't be fixed The Washington Post, 31 May 2023
When Chatbots 'Hallucinate' New York Times, 8 May 2023

Hallucinations by ChatGPT and other generative models are accidental. But AI images, audio, and text can also be created with the intention of providing false information. See the links below for more information:

True or False About AI-driven disinformation. From Wired magazine in 2023
How to Stop AI Deepfakes from Sinking Society — and Science Nature magazine news, September 2023.
‘A.I. Obama’ and Fake Newscasters: How A.I. Audio Is Swarming TikTok New York Times, 12 October 2023

Research Skills & Tips:

Additional Concerns

Climate Concerns:

Chatbots and other forms of AI use large amounts of processing power. As the technology expands, carbon emissions may rise. The articles here discuss these concerns and potential solutions.

Aligning artificial intelligence with climate change mitigation A research paper from Nature Climate Change about measuring and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from AI and machine learning.
Generative AI's Dirty Secret Upgrading search engines with chatbots will raise carbon emissions significantly. Wired Magazine, May 2023.

Exploitation of Workers:

Many AI tools function at the expense of underpaid workers in the United States and around the world.

America already has an AI underclass AI tools function at the expense of underpaid and mistreated contractors. From The Atlantic in 2023.
The Exploited Labor Behind Artificial Intelligence Low-income workers around the world are driving the creation of artificial intelligence systems. From Noema magazine.

Intellectual Property:

AI has raised concerns over intellectual property especially in art, music, and film industries.

AI Music: What Musicians Need to Know Berklee College of Music explores the topic of AI in music both the positives and negatives.
Artificial Intelligence in the Music World Levine Music discusses AI in the music industry and how it has transformed listening and composition of music.
The Impact of Generative AI on Hollywood and Entertainment MIT Sloan Management Review discusses how AI is impacting the entertainment industry.

Research and Advocacy

The links below include groups are studying the ethical implementation of AI technology. Other groups on this list are working to change AI policy or pioneering more ethical uses of the technology. Some of the links included here are publications by or about these organizations.

HAI: Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) works to advance AI research, education, policy and practice to improve the human condition.
The AI Index Report: Measuring Trends in Artificial Intelligence Stanford University - Human Centered Artificial Intelligence
RAISE: Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education An initiative at MIT to innovate learning and education in the era of AI.
Latimer A large language model trained with diverse histories and inclusive voices.
The Black GPT: Introducing The AI Model Trained With Diversity And Inclusivity In Mind An October 2023 article from People of Color in Tech about Latimer.
UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Policy recommendations from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

What is your biggest concern about the future of artificial intelligence?

Bias: 2 votes (33.33%)

Chatbots giving the wrong answer: 0 votes (0%)

Bad actors creating false content: 1 votes (16.67%)

Environmental impacts: 1 votes (16.67%)

Labor impacts: 1 votes (16.67%)

Something else: 1 votes (16.67%)

I don't have any concerns about AI: 0 votes (0%)

Total Votes: 6

Videos and Podcasts

AI, Ain't I A Woman? Joy Boulamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, speaks about using art and research to highlight and fight racial and gender biases in facial analysis technology.
How to Think About A.I. A series of three podcasts produced by the Freakonomics Radio Network in August and September of 2023.
Will ChatGPT Do More Harm Than Good? A panel discussion from June 2023 presented by the Intelligence Squared podcast.

Artificial Intelligence: Concerns & Considerations

Bias

Misinformation and Hallucinations

Additional Concerns

Research and Advocacy

Videos and Podcasts

More Events and Special Topics Guides