The European Union wants to prevent countries from using AI for spying on people and as a means of discriminating against them.

European Union Seeks to Put Stricter Controls on AI Usage to Prevent Abuses

Every country in the world has its own opinion as to how best to use its AI in the fields of business, military, medical and more. The technology AI has provided has been so beneficial and so life-changing on so many levels. And of course, the major areas of influence in the modern world compete with each other to gain an AI advantage. China, Europe, Russia, and the United States are all using AI in similar ways and yet also in very different ways.

AI is being used to rebuild society in ways that reflect the dystopian sci-fi plots predicted. China and the United States have already made huge strides in implementing AI in a range of industries, including national security and law enforcement. In China, the everyday movement of citizens in many cities is monitored by facial recognition and there are many public and private trials of a “social credit score” that will ultimately be rolled out nationwide. These scores can be lowered by infractions such as playing computer games for too long or crossing the street on a red pedestrian light and can be raised by donating to charity. If your score drops too low, you may be denied rail travel or shamed in online lists.

AI programming is being used to speed up the law enforcement process in court systems worldwide. Programs are deciding how much time to give a convicted defendant or if they deserve probation. But many people see that this takes humanity out of our legal system.

The European Union is stepping forward again to try and regulate some of the ways AI can be used. But it seems like a big hill to climb according to an article found at newscientist.com. A European Union plan to regulate artificial intelligence could fine companies that break proposed rules on mass surveillance and discrimination millions of euros. A draft of the legislation, leaked ahead of its official release later this month, suggests the EU is attempting to find a “third way” on AI regulation, between the U.S. free market and authoritarian China.

As presently worded, the rules would ban AI designed to manipulate people “to their detriment,” carry out indiscriminate surveillance or calculate “social scores.” Much of the language is vague enough that the regulations could cover the entire advertising industry or nothing at all. In any case, the military and any agency ensuring public security are exempt.

Some “high risk” activities would be allowed, subject to strict controls, including measures to prevent bringing racial, gender, or age bias into AI systems. As possible targets, the legislation mentions systems to automate job recruitment, assigning places at schools, colleges, or universities, measuring credit scores, or deciding the outcome of visa applications. Companies in breach could be fined up to €20 million, or 4 percent of global turnover.

That’s quite a chasm between using AI to give the population a social credit score and another population trying to keep some type of reign on a technology that frankly, has already surpassed anything a human could conceive to control it. Get ready, this ride is just beginning.

read more at newscientist.com