Social Consequences of Artificial Intelligence

One aspect of the contemporary world is our large reliance on computation in all aspects of personal life and social interaction. We are likely as not to decide which movie to watch, which book to buy, or which restaurant to visit for a meal, based on some computational systems running some barely-known but implicitly trusted algorithms.  Such systems have thus displaced our own independent thinking, as well as taken on the possibly undeserved role of trusted advisors and confidants.  Algorithms are now not merely tools and procedural abstractions that define the manner in which computers work---they now have a large cultural context, and are implicitly trusted with our deepest secrets, and used as aids to our most consequential judgments.

 

This talk considers some aspects of the prevalence of artificial intelligence in society, and suggests some points of concern that bear further scrutiny.  It specifically considers briefly the issues of algorithm use in social contexts, as well as some historical and  possible future consequences of the use of information technology.